Between 2007 and 2008, prominent U.S. toy manufacturers Mattel and Fisher-Price knowingly imported and sold children's toys with excessively high levels of lead in their paint or other surface coatings. This incident drew the attention of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and both companies were fined heavily. The European Union and the U.S. government subsequently amended or added toy-related regulations to restrict the use of harmful substances in toys.
The EU and the US have very strict limits on lead content in toy paints. However, toys manufactured in China still frequently have paints found to contain excessive levels of lead, leading to mandatory recalls. IBISWorld estimates that in 2014, 70-75% of the world's toys were made in China, generating $33.6 billion in revenue. Due to the diversification of their products and global sales, most Chinese toy manufacturers are well aware of limits on heavy metals (especially lead) and hazardous chemicals.
Al Kaufman, vice president of the Toy Industry Association (TIA), which represents more than 85% of the North American toy market, pointed out that, based on objective data, toy manufacturers, including Chinese companies, have put a lot of effort into quality assurance and international chemical requirements, and their process control is becoming increasingly rigorous.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) officially established an office in Beijing in 2009. According to statistics from the Beijing CPSC, there were 172 product recalls in China in 2008, 19 of which were related to excessive lead content in paint. Compared to 2008, there were only 30 product recalls in 2014, one of which was related to excessive lead content in paint. These improvements are substantially related to stricter regulations, lower safety limits for lead and plasticizers, independent and impartial third-party monitoring agencies, and more effective border checks.
Currently, international regulations related to toys include the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and the European Union's Toy Safety Directive (TSD). Taking the American toy brand Hasbro as an example, it has not had any product recalls since 2008. Hasbro attributes this to its five core quality requirements:
1. Control over raw materials from suppliers and contract manufacturers, and conduct lead and heavy metal testing;
2. Lead testing is conducted on the coatings in three stages – before coating, during production, and before product shipment.
3. Hasbro employees regularly conduct unannounced factory safety and quality monitoring and audits at contract manufacturers;
4. Conduct independent, impartial third-party testing on products imported from China;
5. Before products are shipped to retailers, random checks and inspections will be conducted at each stage without prior notice to ensure that the lead content of the paint meets international regulatory requirements.
Danish toy brand Lego requires its supply chain manufacturers to submit a list of all chemical substances added to raw materials. These substances undergo advanced chemical safety testing and analysis, and the resulting data is entered into its IT system for source management. From 2008 to 2013, Lego employed over 20 staff members dedicated to managing more than 2,000 raw materials, ensuring that all chemical substances in these materials comply with the latest international regulations. Therefore, Lego can monitor the chemical content and quality of all its products, regardless of where they are manufactured in the world.
Taking a simple Lego brick as an example, before this batch of bricks leaves the factory, there will be a detailed safety assessment report of more than 25 pages, which includes component risk assessment, model review and toy safety report. As for a Lego fire truck composed of 206 pieces, it will undergo safety monitoring at more than 1,000 random checkpoints in the supply chain before leaving the factory.
Both the CPSC and TSD hope that through market monitoring and cooperation with Chinese authorities, they can further improve toy safety and significantly reduce the number of product recalls due to excessive levels of harmful substances.
Sources: Chemical Watch (2015-04-15) (Compiled by PIDC)
