Toy Safety
TIE's principal goal is to ensure safe toys for our children. The first standards on toy safety in Europe were developed over 20 years ago, and the toy industry has been involved in developing standards from the beginning. In order to protect children's health and safety, legislation, enforcement and the education of parents are of utmost importance.
TIE works diligently to maintain the industry's credibility and reputation on safety issues and to ensure that any new legislation regarding toy safety guarantees a high level of safety for consumers within a framework that is proportionate, balanced and workable for responsible manufacturers.
Source: European Commission, Toy Safety Campaign 2011Improved toy safety
TIE has contributed to vast improvements in toy safety over the past two decades. As a result, toys are among the safest and most highly regulated consumer products on the market. The toy industry has much higher standards than all other household and electronic goods.
From their initial design, toys are created and manufactured to comply with rigorous standards for intended as well as foreseeable use. Toys must withstand "use and abuse tests", a series of drop tests, tension tests, impact tests, torque tests, compression tests, topple over tests, etc. All reputable manufacturers use a test laboratory (either in-house or third-party) that has been accredited under a recognised system such as ISO 17025.
The new Toy Safety Directive (2009/48/EC)
TIE fully supported the adoption of the new Toy Safety Directive (TSD) which guarantees the highest safety and quality standards in Europe. The new TSD came into force on 20 July 2009. Member States had to implement the new Directive into national legislation by 20 January 2011 and began applying the new measures from 20 July 2011 (except for the chemical requirements).
Further information about the new Toy Safety Directive is available here.
TIE is also working together with the European Commission and national associations to organise Roadshows in the Member States on the TSD to ensure that manufacturers, importers, distributors and other economic operators in the EU toy sector are aware of and understand the changes that the new Directive entails.
Further information about the TIE/EC Roadshows is available here.
Counterfeit toys
Consumers can remain confident that toys sold in the EU need to comply with the highest standards of quality. Reputable manufacturers comply with the extensive safety legislation and standards in place in the EU and often go beyond the legal requirements to guarantee toys are safe.
However, no amount of safety legislation can prevent the phenomenon of rogue traders who put counterfeit and imitation products/parasitic copies on the market with little attention for safety. RAPEX, the EU's rapid alert system for dangerous consumer products, frequently includes notifications of counterfeit toys and parasitic copies that present a safety hazard to children. Market surveillance must be increased to combat the problem of counterfeiting and parasitic copying.
Further information about counterfeit toys is available here.
International toy safety legislation
For information about toy safety legislation around the world, please contact the TIE Secretariat tie[@]tietoy.org