I’ve been reading a lot of blog posts lately about CPSIA. I admit I had no idea what it was and mostly just moved past those posts and on to something else. But the other day I paused long enough to read one, and now it has me concerned.
CPSIA stands for “Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act” and while its basic aim of improving the safety of products made for kids is important, recent news of an update may cripple small mom-run, handmade businesses and drive prices up. It’s like reading textbooks to me and I can’t make heads or tails of it.
I don’t have all the information, nor have I done thorough research, but from what I gather, in light of all the problems with the lead based paint in toys from China, the act is to be revised to require ALL items for children comply with certain testing requirements for not only toys, but all items made for children. This testing will likely be costly and prevent the average person selling handmade items from continuing their craft.
I’m not sure what this does for garage sales, eBay, and other used toy and clothing venues, but I’ve read that unless you can prove the tests were done on the stuff YOU sell, you can’t sell it, even if it has a brand name on it. So you won’t be able to resell your kids stuff when they are done with it.
If what have read about these limitations are true, I believe we are taking this a bit too far. I believe we should protect our children, but where does parental responsibility begin and government regulation end? My kids is far more at risk simply getting in my car than by wearing or playing with an item made by a work-at-home mom trying to make a living or by me buying clothes at a garage sale. I believe in quality controls but I also believe that if I can’t afford to buy new, or don’t consider the cost of new clothes worth the short time they wear it before outgrowing it, that I should be able to buy them from my neighbor at their garage sale. I can just picture poor little great-grandma making a scarf for her great-grandson only to be arrested because she never had it tested for lead.
I would rather see small toy-makers and clothing makers have to put a disclaimer on their items that they have not been tested and let me, the consumer, make the decision. Enough jobs have been lost in this economy, let’s not hurt the American family any more than we already have.
There is a group called the Handmade Toy Alliance that is attempting to help save the handmade industry. They have all kinds of resources and links and suggestions for things we can do to help fight the changes to CPSIA that require full compliance 35 days from today, on February 10, 2009.
One way you can help is to sign the petition to save handmade toys and children’s products from the CPSIA. I signed it – I am #8426.
I am curious to know how many of you who will be affected by this have already taken measures to make the necessary changes, how many will just cease operating, and how many will simply conduct business as usual because regulation is one thing but enforcement is a whole other topic.
Update: You can now vote on this issue on change.org: Save Small Business From the CPSIA. Also, if you have a blog, embed the widget to encourage others to help vote. Right now, this issue is one of the 10 slated to be presented at the change.org event in Washington D.C.
About Kim
On the one hand livelihoods are at risk, and on the other hand LIVES are at risk. Clearly there needs to be a legal framework to protect lives but what is NOT clear is what it should be. I am glad I dont have to write it.
I believe in choice. We as parents should choose quality toys and items for our kids. If we stopped buying cheap plastic junk then guess what, people would stop making it.
Most of us following this store support or make handmade, but the general public dont give too hoots and carry on feeding the beast.
Cheers all. Best of luck to everybody involved in this little triangle, buyers, sellers and the poor beaurocrat writing this law
I keep meaning to look up the status of this. It is a year later and I thought they had given everyone a year-long extension, which means it should be time for them to make a final decision.
Holly, here is a link to the video:
http://www.wbaltv.com/video/18479590/index.html
She doesn’t mention handmade items, only thrift stores and the like. And half of what she says is taking in circles.
Anyone have video on that? A link? If anyone’s spreading “misinformation,” perhaps it is because the CPSC has failed to offer clear, unambiguous information that reassures individuals and small businesses that are disproportionately affected and harmed by the CPSIA. Maybe they should work on their communications skills.
CPSC Spokeswoman Chastises ‘Mommy-Bloggers’ On TV
Did you see the video from Baltimore Channel 11 where, for the first time someone from CPSC is interviewed on air? Yep. She disparages ‘mommy-bloggers’ for spreading ‘misinformation’ on the internet! Do you believe this? (Of course, the poor sacrifical lamb has already resigned, her last day is tomorrow) Gee, why do you think they picked her to go on camera?
There is a closed door Congressional Staffer meeting tomorrow about CPSIA. Today and tomorrow would be a REALLY good day to CALL, email and FAX everyone in congress you can think of as well as the CPSC.
We would also appreciate you continuing to spread the word to go to http://www.savekidsresale and Click! to vote (the petition has over 70,000 signatures) as we intend to print out all 500 pages and distribute it to Congressional members tomorrow. As you know, the CPSC has done it’s best to quell the uproar our little corner of this devil in diapers that is CPSIA by their infamous ‘Press Release’.
Thanks so much! Here’s the video http://savekidsresale.squarespace.com/recent-news-stories-video/
I am a wahm, a small business owner, designer and seamstress of made to order clothing for children. My livelihood, and the livelihood of every cottage-industry entrepreneur like me, is threatened with extinction when HR4040/ the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act or CPSIA goes into effect on February 10, 2009.
Make no mistake, CPSIA was necessary in principle and has noble intentions, keeping our children safe and holding companies accountable for importing toxic toys. Unfortunately this legislation lacks common sense, is ambiguous and fails to take into account micro manufacturers and the handmade industry. Unit testing will be required on all finished products, regardless if the components are natural materials, the manufacturing process could in no way introduce lead into the equation, or if you have documentation from vendors stating that the components are certified lead-free.
The required 3rd party lab unit testing is extremely cost prohibitive. My made-to-order articles of childrens clothing are 100% cotton and inherently lead. XRF testing provides the necessary proof that quantities of lead are well within the CPSIA standards and offers a cost that is affordable to small businesses. XRF testing will provide a General Certificate of Conformity which is required as of 2/10/09. Unfortunately it will not be sufficient after Aug 2009.
All items will then need to be unit tested by a certified government lab. The cost quotes given to test in the manner laid out in the law will range from $500-$1500 per style depending on the number of substrates with the lowest price I could find being $75 a substrate. All this just to show the same documentation as the XRF scanning as well as the documentation provided by my vendors showing that the components have already also been tested and meet lead guidelines. The redundancy of the testing is unnecessary as allowing component testing and XRF will ensure safe products.
Without that allowance my company will go out of business. NOT because of the economy, but solely because of CPSIA. Small micro manufacturers such as myself have no way of absorbing the price. There is no economic recovery from it.
According to the 2002 Economic Census (the last survey of its type), small U.S. clothing manufacturers (with fewer than 20 employees) contribute over $900 million dollars [consider: nearly $1 billion dollars] annually to the economy and comprise 68% of total apparel manufacturing in the U.S. This is clearly a vital and contributing asset to our economy. Multiply this fallout exponentially when you take into account the myriad other manufacturers, retailers and businesses that (manufacturer of sell items intended for children under the age of 12) will be hurt or ultimately driven out of business.
I would rather see small toy-makers and clothing makers have to put a disclaimer on their items that they have not been tested and let me, the consumer, make the decision. Enough jobs have been lost in this economy, let’s not hurt the American family any more than we already have.
That would work! As an author, I think this is ludicrous – but sticking a sticker on the cover saying “Untested Children’s Produt: Books may be hazardous to your ignorance. READ at your own risk!” has some humorous appeal. ;)