Toy Association Advocacy Updates
August 21, 2018 | The Toy Association advocates year-round on behalf of its members’ best interests, both at home and abroad. The following are some key updates:
- Review of Report from Danish EPA on Squishy Toys
The Toy Association has reviewed and assessed a report to be released today by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (DEPA) on squishy-type toys. The report does not support the statements nor actions taken by DEPA earlier this summer, when the agency called for the withdrawal of all squishy toys from the marketplace until their safety could be established. The DEPA continues to extrapolate findings to the entire EU market based on 12 samples, some of which were sourced directly from China and may not have been intended for EU distribution. The report also ignores established EU limit values for some chemicals and uses unrealistic scenarios for risk assessment. Both The Toy Association and Toy Industries of Europe (TIE) maintain that any squishy toys meeting current EU requirements are safe and may be distributed anywhere in the EU and European Free Trade Association markets.
- Comments on Critical Issues Affecting the Toy Industry
The Toy Association recently submitted comments on behalf of the industry to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regarding its proposed update to age-grading guidelines for toys, and to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the first 10 chemicals on which it is required to carry out risk assessments under the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act. The Toy Association’s comments on age-grading focused on methodology, need for additional clarity, and specific questions on why some categories have had age grades shifted. Comments to the EPA were aimed at having the agency make an early determination for toy use cases that three chemicals (N-methylpyrrolidone, Hexabromocyclododecane, and dichloromethane) present no more than a de minimis risk, a finding which carries some limited state preemption protection.
- Advocating for Good Regulatory Practices
Toy Association staff spoke recently at workshop sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an arm of the U.S. Commerce Department. Approximately 50 experts, including U.S., Canadian, and Mexican government officials, were present at the workshop. The Association’s presentation focused on the need for good regulatory practices as emerging economies consider when and how to regulate products and stressed the benefits of adhering to international standards and norms, treating imported and domestically-produced articles in a similar manner, and calibrating standards and conformity assessment procedures so that they meet regulatory goals without being too burdensome or creating unintended trade barriers.
Questions from members on these topics may be directed to Alan Kaufman, senior vice president of technical affairs, The Toy Association.