It’s time to get all activism on ya. Imagine just getting a seat of your favorite 3D CAD software with plans to create some sweet kids products.
Imagine being a small toy manufacturer, a hobby woodworker that sells wooden kid’s toys online, or somebody that makes cool robot dolls. In Feburary of 2009, you will have to shut down or break the law.
Why? Read on.
Because of the 2007 lead scare from imported Chinese-made products, the US Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that introduces mandatory testing and labeling of certain products manufactured for children.
On February 10th, 2009, the testing becomes mandatory. That day has become known as National Bankruptcy Day. Wanna change things. Here’s how.
How You can Help:
- Use a sample letter or write your own
- Sign the petition.
- Write your Congress Person and Senator
Update: There is also a petition related directly to apparel and textile goods
Affects already seen
An excellent German Toy manufacturer was one of the first affected. Selecta Spielzeug has pulled distribution to the US because of requirements imposed by CPSIA.
From the Hadmade Toy Alliance
The United States Congress rightly recognized that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to prevent dangerous toys from being imported into the US. So, they passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August, 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in toys, mandates third-party testing and certification for all toys and requires toy makers to permanently label each toy with a date and batch number.
All of these changes will be fairly easy for large, multinational toy manufacturers to comply with. Large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each toy have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and update their molds to include batch labels.
For small American, Canadian, and European toymakers, however, the costs of mandatory testing will likely drive them out of business.
* A toymaker, for example, who makes wooden cars in his garage in Maine to supplement his income cannot afford the $4,000 fee per toy that testing labs are charging to assure compliance with the CPSIA.
* A work at home mom in Minnesota who makes dolls to sell at craft fairs must choose either to violate the law or cease operations.
* A small toy retailer in Vermont who imports wooden toys from Europe, which has long had stringent toy safety standards, must now pay for testing on every toy they import.
* And even the handful of larger toy makers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.The CPSIA simply forgot to exclude the class of toys that have earned and kept the public’s trust: Toys made in the US, Canada, and Europe. The result, unless the law is modified, is that handmade toys will no longer be legal in the US.
If this law had been applied to the food industry, every farmers market in the country would be forced to close while Kraft and Dole prospered.
More Info:
Toy Association Summary of CPSIA
Hadmade Toy Alliance
National Bankruptcy Day
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Look at what our parents had… they seemed to turn out alright.
http://www.make-digital.com/make/vol16/?folio=40
Uranium! And gunpowder!
“…predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. ” – Thomas Jefferson
Maybe it is a good thing if toy makers stop selling toys in the US. Don't our kids already have enough to play with. Won't our kids compete with kids who have less?
Do you really think someone from Germany struggles with constraints and restrictions? Have you been to Europe? They love regulation!
I knew this was coming but I had no idea that it would impact small manufacturers and craft people.
Steve
Thanks for publicizing this! May I also suggest visiting our War Room for up to the minute updates and focused activism? http://tinyurl.com/5fhzbd
no problem, Kathleen. From what I've read this is affecting a lot more than what was intended. Awful in the light of current economic conditions.
I could REALLY go off about this. I'll just say there should at least be a lower fee or different stipulations for manufacturers under a certain quantity.
It seems like a really poorly design regulation. Wouldn't it be easier to have the paint manufacturers bear the testing burden and leave it to artisans to make a self declaration that they use only approved paints? The potential for fraud is staggering (submit one toy and change paint suppliers). If one of the big paint manufacturers took it on it would be easy for the individual craftspeople to buy healthy stuff.
This law passed by Congress reminded me of this quote by Mark Twain:
“Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself. “
LOL! that is good. I'm in Basel right now and just walked through the Chirstmas market. I doubt few of those people would be able to afford exporting their goods with this new law. A lot of items like Selecta has, but all are smaller manufacturers and artisans. sad really.
Hey Joseph, that is actually a SMART IDEA. to bad it's not so obvious to the legislators. I could see laws like these really affecting the manufacturing market and technology coming out to 'replicate'
cool toys and products. not cool. A lot of this is bound to go Black Market too and open manufacturing up to even more heinous acts.
This is really unfair for small toy manufacturers. I can't believe they did that especially in this time of crisis. What we need is to encourage businesses to prosper and not hinder them with policies.
Couldn’t be written any better. Reading this post reminds me of my responsible towards my kids. I would love have nice read in future also on your blog
Good post. Have bookmarked your blog and will surely come back.
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