With the strict safety and quality standards of children’s toys, there is absolutely no room for non-compliance. Compliance issues can cause potential health hazards and in some cases fatalities. Here we discuss the importance of toy testing and provide you with an exact outline of toy safety regulations and all of the most recent updates to help you avoid compliance issues, so that you can continue to produce toys of the highest quality. The toy industry is a lucrative one with “toy sales in 2015 increasing by 4% over 2014 to $87.4billion…with estimated growth expected to exceed $90 billion in sales in 2016.”
There is surely continued opportunities for economic growth and sustainable innovation in this massive industry going into 2017 and beyond.
But, the toy market, and product safety specifically, makes it a volatile one.
What happens when due diligence is left by the wayside?
41% of toys that were recalled in the EU alone were due to choking hazards, whilst chemical compositions makes the second largest recall between January 2016 and July 2017.
By looking at the graph below, you will see the breakdown of recalls over this period of time:
The stats above paint a clear picture for importers to abide by toy safety compliance standards, for it is not only in your best economic interest, but also for your brand’s protection and growth.
Today, children’s toys are subject to some of the strictest safety and quality standards in the retail marketplace due to the sensitive nature of their consumer base.
The question is…
How do importers keep up with the latest news in toy safety regulations to avoid potential disasters and recalls as reflected above?
In this blog post, I seek to highlight the EU EN71 safety standards that your imported toys need to comply with. I will also highlight the latest updates of this standard, to ensure you are up to date with the latest in toy compliance.
We also look at the US standard, ASTM F963, where we will highlight the latest updates to ensure that your products are in compliance. Lastly, I seek to provide you with actionable steps to achieving compliance according to these standards and what you can do to continue producing children’s toys of the highest quality.
EN 71
The EN71 is a set of European Product Safety standards that apply to all toys, sold in the European Union. The EN 71 also forms a part of the CE directive. As an importer of children’s toys you will need to ensure that the toys you are importing into Europe are labelled with this CE mark.
This mark basically stipulates that a particular toy is compliant with the safety regulations as laid out by the European Union and its safety standard.
Here is a table of what this standard is inclusive of, but I will also highlight the ones that have been updated recently so that you, know exactly what your products need to be compliant with;
TABLE of EN71
The latest EN71 update includes
The latest children’s toy update and revision of the above table is as follows;
The CEN has published Toy safety standard EN 71-12:2016 for n-nitrosamines and n-nitrosatable substances. This standard is expected to be harmonized under Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC by publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).
Major change of the new version includes this;
- More stringent limits of n-nitrosamines and n-nitrosatable substances for toys intended for use by children under 36 months and intended or likely to be placed into the mouth of the child.
- a modified definition for ‘elastomer’ from ISO 472:2013 (Plastics – Vocabulary, for better clarity)
- a new procedure for the extraction process for toys and parts of toys other than balloons
- use of porous graphitic carbon (PGC) reversed phase (C18) high performance liquid chromatography (HLPC) columns as an additional option for analysis
- an additional set of multiple reaction monitoring-transitions (MRM-transitions) for quantification and identification
What this revision should mean for your sourcing and production strategies
This standard is applicable to the following products;
- Toys and parts of toys made from elastomers and intended for use by children under 36 months
- Toys and parts of toys made from elastomers and intended to be placed in the mouth
- Finger paints for children under 36 months
Manufacturers will need to provide evidence of compliance from the supplier of these materials, before the manufacturing of these items can proceed. There may also be a random sampling after mass production for post production testing to ensure you are not in violation of the above safety regulations.
ASTM F963-16
El ASTM F 963-16, The Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety, is a comprehensive standard that addresses numerous hazards that have been identified with toys.
The latest ASTM F963 update includes
- Among the changes, the 2016 revision addresses ride-on toys with: a new curb impact requirement, a clarification of overload and stability requirements, and a strap exemption.
- new labelling requirements for toys that have certain small coins or button batteries,
- temperature and current-limiting requirements for lithium-ion batteries, and
- new requirements for materials and toys that could expand if accidentally swallowed.
- Other revisions include:
– new soaking and compression tests for magnets
– new requirements and clarifications related to microbiological safety;
– clarifications to heavy elements requirements for toy substrate materials
– revised requirements for toys involving projectiles; and,
– clarification of requirements and supplemental guidance for impact hazards.
What this revision should mean for your sourcing and production strategies
You will have noticed that all children’s toys that have been produced after 30 April 2017 needed to be tested according to ASTM F963-16.
According to ASTM F963-16 all toys that are intended for children of 12 years old and under need to be tested by a registered CPC third party testing and quality provider, who will then furnish you with the appropriate product specific CPC which declares that your product complies with the federal toy safety standard.
Suggestions for complying with these toy testing regulations
As an importer you may be feeling overwhelmed about adhering to the regulations as laid out above and while you should be doing everything you can to adhere to them, here we lay out a few suggestions of how to go about doing this;
- You need to work towards improving quality control procedures by strictly monitoring the quality of raw materials. Do not fall into the trap of using cheaper, substandard materials. Whilst this may be appealing for cost reduction, you will be putting your brand at unnecessary risks.
- Improving your products quality always needs to be a primary goal. Many of the new updates in regulation also stipulate the use of a third party quality provider as mandatory for your products compliance.
- Ensure you use a third party company that is up to date with the latest in toy testing and safety regulations. This will reduce the risks of potential product recalls resulting in a bad image for your brand, but also a loss in revenue.
- Seek new non-toxic environmentally-friendly raw materials. How do you go about sourcing your raw materials? This may step may be a little more difficult to pursue, but let’s take a look at Lego. Their blocks are made of plastic, but currently, they are investing loads of money and time into finding alternatives to plastic for their famous building blocks. It’s this kind of commitment that ensures a positive and innovative position in the market place.
Understanding the regulations and what they mean for your current sourcing strategy for children’s toys will help give appropriate direction and guidelines to your current competitive positioning in the market place.
By understanding these regulations and ensuring compliance according to them, you are able to guard yourself against potential product recalls and even potential lawsuits that could come from health and safety violations that are sadly too often found within children’s toys.
“API is equipped to meet the above product testing and safety requirements accordingly to ensure your brand’s safety and protection.”
A social compliance audit can be difficult to attain, but is an absolute necessity for that transparent supply chain your consumers today are demanding.
A social compliance audit ensures that a factory and its practices are abiding by all local laws and that you meet all of the social obligations as set out by the guidelines of the audit, from fair wages to no instances of child labor in a factory.
In this blog post, I will outline the exact procedure of this audit, the benefits it offers to your consumer electronics brand and how you can go about conducting this audit for yourself.
So, let’s dive in…
Document reviews – Auditors will check all the documentation of the supplier to determine the presence of any possible child labour, an all too common violation within the consumer electronics industry. They also assess whether there are any violations of extended working hours and wages. They will also look into what types of social insurance are available to workers and review any fire and safety documentation, which will help to determine whether or not any safety precautions or plans are in place. They will also inspect whether or not there is any environmental monitoring being done and, if so, how it is conducted.
Employee interviews – The auditors conduct interviews with the factory in question staff, where they ask them about their working hours, overtime, and about their holiday/leave time. Auditors also like to cross check these statements by interviewing factory management to ensure there are no discrepancies. This helps to clarify whether there are any instances of abuse or misconduct between staff and management. In the case of a re-audit these interviews will then be conducted again to ensure improvement plans are being implemented properly.
Closing meeting with audit status – This meeting reveals the audit results of your CE factory and also makes suggestion for improvements. If you use 
In understanding the ethical compliance standards as laid out above, you are able to make informed decisions about the suppliers you choose to use in the manufacturing of your electrical products.
Resulta que 
Muchas organizaciones no disponen de las amplias redes geográficas que tienen los grandes minoristas.
Por lo tanto, su personal interno acaba dedicando mucho tiempo a viajar para realizar inspecciones de control de calidad, sin dedicar suficiente tiempo a centrarse en la calidad de un producto. Esto suele ralentizar los procesos de producción, con un tiempo eventual de comercialización más largo.
Si tomamos en consideración el ejemplo del Fidget Spinner, ¿cuál es la probabilidad de que su equipo interno sea consciente de esa no conformidad antes de que salga al mercado?
Piense en ello.
Un suceso como el anterior pone a su marca en un riesgo innecesario, con el potencial de una mala publicidad y una importante pérdida de ventas.
Puede ¿Se lo puede permitir su organización?
Algunos equipos de ensayo pueden ser exclusivos de un producto específico o si hay una actualización de los procedimientos de ensayo para incluir los cambios recientes en la normativa.
A menudo, los proveedores externos pueden ofrecer soluciones técnicas basadas en las especificaciones anteriores, junto con equipos que conocen bien los nuevos procedimientos de ensayo.
Los proveedores externos suelen enviar a sus inspectores a cursos de formación para que se familiaricen con los nuevos equipos y procedimientos de ensayo, a fin de garantizar un servicio de alta calidad con un índice mínimo de retirada de productos.
Para los proveedores de calidad externos es prioritario estar al día de las últimas tendencias y novedades de su sector, junto con las mejores prácticas que deben seguir.
Este tipo de conocimiento y experiencia puede aprovecharse para obtener una ventaja competitiva.
su producto.
Si sumamos todo esto, empezaremos a ver márgenes de beneficio más altos y también habrá aumentado la capacidad de satisfacer la oferta y la demanda de nuestros productos, creando esa deseada ventaja competitiva.
Veamos brevemente la solución del Expediente de Conformidad Técnica;
Se trata de una solución de conformidad que le permite obtener información fiable y precisa sobre sus procesos de conformidad.
Se ofrece a través de una plataforma basada en web y es una 
Los informes de inspección son esenciales para obtener el despacho de aduana de los envíos. Corresponderá al minorista, junto con su proveedor de calidad, establecer una pauta de calificación de los informes.
Esta pauta de calificación de informes constituye una base de automatización que reduce la cantidad de cambios manuales tras la revisión de los informes. La revisión manual de estos informes ralentiza enormemente los procesos de autoenvío y todo este proceso pierde sentido.
Un proveedor de calidad externo podrá proporcionarle los conocimientos del sector y las mejores prácticas relativas a los informes de calificación. También podrá personalizar sus informes de calificación en función de las necesidades de su producto.
Una vez creado este informe de calificación, su proveedor de calidad puede utilizar sus sistemas técnicos para enviar informes diarios tanto al cliente como a la empresa de carga que haya elegido. Esto crea un proceso de liberación mucho más claro y rápido tanto para usted como para la empresa de carga.
La montaña de papeleo, desde las licencias de importación hasta los informes de inspección completos, ellos lo tienen todo bajo control, lo que permite un proceso racionalizado y eficiente para su organización.
Tradicionalmente, un equipo interno suele publicar los informes de inspección a medida que los recibe, lo que provoca retrasos importantes. Esto suele deberse a que los equipos internos de control de calidad tienen que viajar mucho, lo que significa que no tienen tiempo suficiente para realizar las aprobaciones necesarias para que los envíos se publiquen a tiempo.
No quiero parecer repetitivo, pero tener un equipo interno capaz de gestionar la logística de los envíos sería un sueño, sin duda, pero pasar la aduana con seguridad depende de ser eficiente en todos los demás puntos que he mencionado antes.
Los equipos internos que no dispongan del tiempo, los recursos y los conocimientos técnicos adecuados tendrán dificultades para hacer frente a problemas que, de otro modo, podrían haberse evitado.
Así que este es el trato...
La gestión de la calidad es un sistema complejo que requiere 100% de su atención y concentración.
Es usted capaz de dedicar tanto tiempo y recursos a garantizarlo?
Esta es una pregunta que muchos no quieren responder, pero la realidad es que a menudo no puede permitirse el tiempo y los recursos necesarios para crear sistemas de calidad totalmente optimizados que puedan producir productos de alta calidad para su marca y a tiempo.
Entonces, ¿qué?
Puede que merezca la pena considerar la posibilidad de contratar a un proveedor de calidad externo que pueda dedicarle el tiempo y los recursos que necesita para racionalizar las operaciones de su cadena de suministro.
Un proveedor externo de calidad puede proporcionarle;
* Lo último en regulación de productos
* Experiencia técnica
* Disponen de la tecnología adecuada para agilizar sus operaciones
* Tienen los conocimientos sobre cómo navegar por las aguas de la logística internacional para su marca.
Esto le dará margen para empezar a centrarse en lo que se le da bien: fabricar productos de alta calidad y crear un nivel de confianza con su consumidor que sea competitivo a escala mundial.
¿Tiene experiencia trabajando con servicios de inspección de calidad de terceros? 
La especificación del producto puede parecerse a las dimensiones de sus productos, el volumen, su peso, el color y cualquier etiquetado específico que pueda necesitar para cumplir con la normativa.
En sus especificaciones debe asegurarse de ser lo más específico posible, desde paletas de colores específicas hasta el peso máximo de una batidora eléctrica. Cuanto más específico sea, más fácil será para su proveedor cumplir sus especificaciones.
Estas especificaciones también proporcionarán al equipo de control de calidad de su proveedor un estándar/guía para supervisar adecuadamente la producción del artículo.
Aquí es donde 
Un defecto crítico sería el sobrecalentamiento de la batería de un portátil que, si se deja desatendida mientras se carga, puede provocar incendios.
Por lo tanto, una pregunta importante que deberías hacerle a tu proveedor antes de todo esto es, ¿cómo evitarán cualquier problema de calidad que pueda surgir durante tu operación?
Comprender cómo tu proveedor maneja las presiones de calidad y los procedimientos de cumplimiento te ayudará a definir qué tipo de relación tienes con ellos.
Antes de la producción en masa, tu proveedor debe proporcionarte un 
La gestión de defectos del producto también puede abordarse después de la producción en masa a través de un .jpg)
también hay un equipo informático dedicado a garantizar la seguridad del software y sólo los empleados de la API están autorizados a realizar modificaciones en la plataforma.
Many of the compliance complexities that arise are in the collection and gathering of all the necessary documentation. Many manufacturers, importers and retailers today are still operating on outdated systems like spreadsheets, creating unreliable data and documentation, which creates an almost insurmountable task trying to maintain the information for each product reference. 
you insight into your compliance status whenever you need it. There are also progress charts allowing you actionable insight into timelines and your supplier progress. This solution is also able to store all your documents for up to 10 years, ensuring your documents are safely stored for any future reference. 
Both of these retailers experienced significant challenges within their supply chains, one had even previously adopted the services of a 3rd party QA provider, who made no strides in overcoming their challenges with them.
The quality of a product can be defined in many ways and is almost always dependent on your specific consumer and their definition of quality for your specific item. So in that light, you will need to know exactly what your consumer is looking for to create the quality your brand is looking to achieve.
When a consumer sets out to look for a quality product, they want to feel as though they have paid less than what the actual product is worth, the quality of the product far surpassing the amount they ended up paying. Fulfilling the need to exceed the consumer’s expectations, this is what true quality is all about.
If fulfilling the need to meet your consumer’s expectations is at the top of your company’s agenda, is it not essential for your brand’s products to meet a level of quality that does just that? Let me leave you pondering that for a bit.
In attempting to understand your customer’s definition of quality, it will be important to note that fulfilling consumer expectation and experience forms a part of that definition.
Let me give you an example; If a consumer orders a product that has met and passed all quality tests it needed to meet, that product for all intents and purposes is a quality item. But, if the order arrives later than promised or arrives with a missing screw or the incorrect color, the consumer may not define this product as an item of value and quality.
Striving for product quality is a stems right from the raw materials used, to the way in which it arrives to your customer, therefore every step needs to be taken into consideration.
craze of fidget spinners and, where 200, 000 of these spinners have been recalled due to it 
they want to know where its raw materials were sourced, how it was made, who made it and what its level of quality is. They ask themselves whether or not your product will be an investment in their lives.
The key here will be to know your target market, know your consumer. If you do not know what they want, you will struggle to be their go-to brand; you will lose out on their brand evangelism and praise affecting your bottom line
“Is this the type of brand and product you wish to create?”
Retailers today are under so much pressure with the current supply and demand of products, that quality and/or compliance is not always a priority.
“But, it should be!”
Bad quality and non-compliance both mean that your brand is at an unnecessarily high risk with regards to meeting regulations and your reputation. It will be worth all the hard yards that you put in from the creation and design to the manufacturing and distribution of your products. This will help mitigate unnecessary risk, saving you money and precious time.
A POA is essential for filling out shippers exportation documents. This exportation document cannot be completed without a valid POA. Without it, your shipment will not be released, costing you time and money.
“So, what happens when one of these documents are not in order?”
You incur costs that begin adding up on a daily basis. Your shipment will be warehoused, where you will be billed for every day your shipment is there. It will be time consuming. Much of the paperwork mentioned above takes time to complete, but now you will be waiting on paperwork while raking up warehouse fees. This is not an ideal situation but can be avoided with thorough, well-kept, organized paperwork and a dash of patience to go along with it.
