ICTI Ethical Toy Program Offers Guide for Responsible Purchasing Practices During COVID-19

April 23, 2020 | The Toy Association is alerting members to the ICTI Ethical Toy Program’s (IETP) new Purchasing Practices Guidelines for COVID-19, which seeks to support toy companies and buying teams and protect the nearly 1 million workers employed at IETP certified toy factories during the pandemic.

The guidelines were designed to help toy companies, retailers, and those responsible for managing commercial agreements with their suppliers manage risks and protect workers, and help retailers secure mutually beneficial business partnerships with manufacturers during the COVID-19 crisis and recovery. They also include suggested actions to support vulnerable and migrant workers with families during the global pandemic, along with links to relevant IETP tools and resources to help manage business impacts related to COVID-19. The guidance is targeted to brands and retailers using external factories in China as well as toy companies with their own factories.

“The COVID-19 outbreak continues to have widespread impacts on companies and their supply chains,” said Mark Robertson, senior vice president of IETP. “Our guidelines offer good practice recommendations to help toy companies and their buying teams preserve business continuity and support manufacturers while protecting the rights and well-being of factory workers. Working collaboratively now will help us to achieve the best possible outcome for our industry as we move from crisis to recovery.”

IETP is also providing regular updates on the actions it’s taking to respond to the crisis, which can also be found in The Toy Association’s COVID-19 retailer toolkit.