KIDS INDIA MAGAZINE ISSUE II OCTOBER 2013 | Page 11
Page 11
Toy Safety – a valuable area of expertise
for the specialist toy trade
“Toxins in toys” or “Alarm in the
nursery”… again and again consumers are alarmed by these or
similar reports. Banner headlines
or whole evenings of detailed discussion are devoted to this issue.
Experts debate acceptable threshold values and the feared consequences for our children. The
implication is that when people
buy toys they bring an incalculable risk into their own four walls,
or even worse into their child’s
room, in the form of a highly dangerous cocktail of chemicals.
The protection of our children
is, of course, the highest priority
and the declared aim should be to
achieve what is technically possible. But it’s precisely the discussions of milligram threshold values, “calculated” risk potential or
the mass of logos and instructions
on packaging that is undermining
the confidence of consumers longterm. Sometimes it’s the “thrift is
cool” mentality as well, or simply seeing it from the wrong perspective, that induces people to
buy toys that are not safe. Safety
is not just the result of a product
passing all the prescribed tests in
a laboratory – that’s the basic prerequisite – knowing what is safe
is much more a question of information, communication and explanation… all of which present
toy retailers with opportunities on
different levels.
How safe are toys today?
The new European Toy Safety Directive defines more precisely than
ever before the technical properties of toys, the requirements in
terms of materials and product
characteristics and the chemical
parameters for many substances
that are a danger to health.
But also the obligation of players in the supply chain has increased and imposes on everyone involved in the European
toy trade a greater responsibility to ensure that products on the
market are safe and thus to ensure the safety of children.
We can say that overall the directive is a step in the right direction and that toys in the retail
trade are safe – irrespective of
their country of origin. At this
point, we won’t go into the ways
in which individual issues in the
new directive could and should
be improved, and Internet trade
from unknown sources or selling in budget outlets are also not
considered here. The first part of
a clear message to the customer.
Manufacturers and retailers
who take their obligations seriously accept this challenge
with great commitment and a
high degree of responsibility. And where these economic players regard it as important and right, they go beyond
the stipulations and produce or
sell toys that meet significantly more rigorous standards than
those required by the directive.
Part two of the message.
Harmful substances have no place
in toys – that much is beyond debate – but the customers would
like to hear once again clear and
explicit statements that they can
buy toys without worrying, because responsible manufacturers
and retailers guarantee they are safe
and communicate this message.
Threshold values
Better! Who knows?
Potential customers for toys
have more opportunity today to
see and hear discussions held in
public about threshold values
and harmful substances.
Whether it’s about a total ban
on diisodecyl phthalate for under three-year-olds or the toy
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