February 28th, 2008
By John DeFore
Last year wasn’t a great one for toy merchants, who had to deal not only with a slowing economy but with scandal-stoking recalls of hazardous goods made in China. This month, with the industry’s annual Toy Fair offering a platform, companies are touting safety initiatives that, at least in the case of Toys”R”Us, extend beyond play-room safety and into environmental concerns.
The company recently announced that any products shipped to them starting March 1 must comply with a stricter set of internal safety guidelines, including third-party lab testing and (for products manufactured exclusively for the retailer) lead limits of 90 parts per million for surface coatings and 250 ppm for substrate.
Beyond lead, the company is moving toward the elimination of PVC and announced: “by the end of 2008 juvenile products sold in any Toys”R”Us or Babies”R”Us store in the United States must be produced without the addition of phthalates.” Phthalates, used to soften PVC, have been blamed for causing reproductive defects and affecting children’s sexual development.
Of broader environmental interest is the last item in the company’s announcement: “We have instructed manufacturers … to eliminate the use of nickel-cadmium batteries from all items manufactured exclusively for Toys”R”Us … by the end of 2008.” Ni-cad batteries, which rely on the toxic element cadmium, have been banned in Europe and will likely be replaced by rechargeable NiMH or Lithium ion power sources.
Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media
