More chemicals should be banned under Europe’s new toy safety rules, says EU Council

Europe should further strengthen proposals to increase toy safety regulations, the Council of the European Union said as it adopted its position ahead of negotiations with the European Parliament, due to take place after elections in June. The position announcement comes as toy manufacturers in Europe recorded growing numbers of product recalls so far this year. The Council said it wants the updated rules to include more substances to be banned from use in toy manufacturing than originally proposed by the European Commission. It also wants the obligations of companies in the supply chain, such as warehouses, packaging and shipping firms, designated as economic operators to be limited, although recognising their role in importing toys from third countries. Europe’s current rules on toy safety are among the strictest worldwide, the Council said, but new legislation as proposed by the European Commission in July 2023 will increase protection from harmful chemicals, expanding a ban to endocrine disruptors and chemicals affecting the respiratory system. It has also proposed to introduce a digital product passport for imported toys to ensure they comply with Europe’s toy safety requirements that will allow certain toys to be removed from the market should any new risks arise in the future. However, the Council said it will push for a ban to be extended further to chemical substances that provoke skin allergies and ban toys that either have a biocidal function or toys treated with biocidals – products that include preservatives, insecticides, disinfectants and pesticides. Outdoor toys would be excluded. The intentional use of fragrances in toys should also be banned, the Council said. The Council said it will also go to negotiations looking for improvements that clarify the obligations of economic operators, aligning then to the general product safety regulation. It wants new requirements on manufacturers to mark warnings in languages understandable to Europe’s consumers, and obligations on manufacturers to inform its distribution chains of product conformity issues. The Council’s proposals would also obligate toy importers to inform producers and authorities if they suspect that a toy presents a risk. Toys sold through online marketplaces that do not meet the strengthened safety rules should be considered as illegal content under the Digital Services Act, the Council said. “Safety of toys deserves our utmost attention and we should certainly keep protecting our children from non-compliant products being manufactured or imported,” said Pierre-Yves Dermagne, Belgian deputy prime minister and minister for the economy and employment. In its latest index of product recalls in Europe, Sedgwick recorded a 19% rise in the number of toy recalls in Q1 2024 – the third consecutive quarterly rise – to 135 events. Chemical risk was the leading cause of toy recalls in the quarter at 49 events, followed by choking. France submitted the most toy recall notices at 37 but China was the country of origin for the vast majority of recalled toys in Europe.

More chemicals should be banned under Europe’s new toy safety rules, says EU Council

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