CPSC Grants One Year Stay
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act has voted to issue a one year stay of enforcement (it remains in effect until February 10, 2010) for certain testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers of regulated products, including products intended for children 12 years and younger. This is limited relief from the testing and certification in effect as of February 10, 2009 for new total lead content limits (600ppm) and pthalates limits (1000ppm), among other things. The commission says it needs more time to finalize the proposed rules and to issue more guidance on when testing is required and how it is to be conducted.
For anyone not in the loop on this; it was legislation that would have potentially devastated small businesses who could not absorb the costs of testing dozens, 100's or 1000's of SKUs in inventory. Retailers felt they were being asked to assume the responsibility and costs while policing the whole process. And the beat goes on...
Keep in mind however that all businesses,including, but not limited to, handmade toy and apparel makers, crafters and home-based small busineses, must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards including the lead and pthalates provisions under the CPSIA.
Oliveira Textiles uses only organic cotton and hemp along with oeko-tex approved dyes, and heavy-metal & pthalate free pigments. We are having our fabrics tested to confirm these facts to all of our customers.
Thanks for listening.
Deb
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