Feb 29, 2008 10:49 am US/Pacific
Toys 'R' Us Gets Tough On Toxins
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 © 2009 | Distributed by Noofangle Media)
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