Share this on

Toys 'R' Us gets tougher on lead, PVC

By Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 2/15/2008 7:23:00 AM

WAYNE, N.J.—Toys “R” Us said today that it will subject products shipped to its domestic Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores to increased levels of testing, scrutiny and oversight, including a lead standard for its private label products considerably stricter than those currently enforced by the federal government, as well as new curbs on products containing phthalates/PVC or that use nickel-cadmium batteries.

“We love kids and babies, and our commitment to their safety is non-negotiable,” said Jerry Storch, TRU’s chairman and CEO, of the stricter stance it is taking towards its suppliers. “We continue to look for ways to raise the bar on product safety and reinforce our leadership position in this regard … We have made it very clear to manufacturers that we need not wait for the finalization of the much-needed tighter federal standards that are currently pending in welcome legislation before the U.S. Congress. Our customers trust and expect that we will always do the right thing when it comes to the safety of children, and we take this responsibility very seriously.”

The retailer has instructed all manufacturers who produce items for Toys “R” Us Inc. that products shipped to the company on or after March 1, 2008 must comply with strict new standards. Those standards include:

• Significantly increasing the frequency of third-party testing, including each batch of product imported to the United States by Toys “R” Us Inc.;

• Ensuring all product samples submitted for testing are selected by the company’s third-party, certified laboratory;

• Date-coding all products;

• Applying a more stringent standard of 90 parts per million (ppm) for lead in surface coatings versus the current federal standard of 600 ppm for all products manufactured exclusively for Toys “R” Us Inc.;

• Requiring substrate materials to meet a standard of 250 ppm for lead versus the company’s current standard of 600 ppm for all products manufactured exclusively for Toys “R” Us Inc.;

• Using lead-screening equipment to conduct company auditing of all products at their point of origin and at various points in the supply chain.

The retailer is also moving to reduce the presence of phthalates and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in the products it sells. TRU says it has notified manufacturers that by the end of 2008, juvenile products sold in any TRU or BRU store in the United States must be produced without the addition of phthalates. The company says it has already begun replacing PVC and phthalates in juvenile products manufactured exclusively for Toys “R” Us Inc.

TRU has also instructed manufacturers to eliminate the use of nickel-cadmium batteries from all items manufactured exclusively for Toys “R” Us Inc., a process expected to be complete by the end of 2008.

Share this on

Talkback

We would love your feedback!

A Patchwork of Protection

Aug 1, 2008

CPSC Delays Product Testing For One Year

Feb 2, 2009

Congress to explore lead recalls

Aug 23, 2007

Getting the Lead Out

Mar 1, 2010

CPSC affirms Zhu Zhu Pets' safety

Dec 8, 2009

Also by this author

»MORE

Featured Company

FurnitureCore.com

FurnitureCore.com is a dynamic web application aimed at the furniture industry. Retailers and manufacturers alike will find our deep reserve of tools to be exactly what their furniture business needs.www.furniturecore.com... more