BLC News
The importance of safety for children's products
14th July, 2011
Over 200 children's brands from across the world attended the June Bubble London event including childrenswear, footwear, accessories, toys and interiors products. Bubble London's philosophy is to bring a new generation of kids trade show to the marketplace. Bubble London runs twice yearly in January and June in sync with the European calendar, and is the only standalone children's trade event in the UK.
Discussions with exhibitors at the event who used leather in their products illustrated that not all manufacturers and retailers of children"s products are aware of the importance of regular product testing to ensure that products comply with legislation and are safe and fit for purpose.
Toys or products intended for use by children are required to undergo vigorous testing regimes, including chemical testing . This is understandable as children of all ages place a unique set of demands on products. Within Europe, the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC applies to toys defined as 'products designed or intended, whether or not exclusively, for use in play by children under 14 years of age'.
Footwear and certain other items intended for children may not explicitly fall within the scope of the Toy Safety Directive as they do not fit within the definition of a toy as described by the EC. However, there are a number of reasons why retailers and brands would be advised to test these items:
- Footwear is intended to promote hygiene in children by ensuring the feet remain clean and safe. For this reason it makes sense that footwear could be considered a childcare article
- Whilst children"s footwear is not strictly intended for use in play, any item intended for use by a child (ie that is child-appealing) will be subject to the increased demands of performance typical of children. Children, especially under the age of 36 months, will put items in their mouths. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that no harm will come to them should this occur.
This new Directive came into force on 20 July 2009, and Member States must begin applying the new measures from 20 of July 2011, except for annex II part III (chemical requirements). Due to the complexity of this area, the parts of the Directive relating to chemical content will come into force on 20 July 2013 and in the meantime, part III of annex II of Directive 88/378/EEC will continue to apply.
BLC is a UKAS accredited analytical testing laboratory . We can test to national, European and international standards and BLC has CPSC approval as an accredited laboratory for the 16CFR1303 lead testing standard (CPSC Laboratory Identification Number: 1049). BLC can help with all your chemical testing needs and ensure that all chemical testing is in line with current legislation and industry standards.
BLC members receive a 30% discount on testing.
For further information contact info@blcleathertech.com
