[amyandelle]

It's being called National Bankruptcy Day. To make a long, long story short:
The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Congress have just passed a law which requires ALL MAKERS of CHILDRENS' PRODUCTS in the US and importing to the US to have their products (and components) tested by a CPSC-certified, Third-party testing laboratory FOR LEAD CONTENT.

On Feb 10, 2009, all businesses which do not comply with said testing (which is incredibly expensive and unecessary for textiles as fabric does not contain lead) will be in violation of federal law, guilty of selling banned products and subject to fines and jail time. This affects ALL of us. WAHMs, Etsy sellers, crafters, wooden and organic toy companies, baby carriers, ect. On Feb 10th, the handcrafted movement dies. WAHMs are out of business. The economy sinks even lower.

If it sounds unbelievable, believe it. Here are several links for you to consume. The kids industry has been slow to realize how serious this ruling is because it sounds so ridiculous. But it is real, and incredibly sad.

A good summary of the situation from an industry leader: http://www.fashion-incubator.com/arc...ankruptcy-day/

Actual Cpsc law: http://www.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/Cpsia/legislation.html

Easi(er) to read summary of law: http://www.apparelandfootwear.org/re...mary080902.pdf

Petition:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/e...SIA/index.html

Please, please take action on this. Call and write and petition and email.

Thanks,
Amy

 

[~savah~]

I was just coming here to post the same thing. So far Selecta has already decided to pull its products from the American market. On Wednesday, Dec. 10 there will be a meeting held by the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection. The meeting will discuss implementing the law. There will be a briefing for this hearing on Monday, Dec. 8 at 4 pm. Here is a link to the list of Committee Members, if your representative is on the list please contact them and let them know how you feel on Monday by 4:00. Here is a link for some suggestions from WAHM solutions about how to express your concerns to your representatives.

Please, please do not put this off. We do not want to be living in a world where Mattel and Fisher-Price are the only toys that are available to our children. Not to mention how many small clothing and toy makers are going to be put out of business.

 

[sweetpeppers]

Man, that's so screwed up. This is what happens when a country believes that government regulation solves all their problems. I signed the petition.

 

[Pumpkin_Pie]

I signed the petition and posted a link to the group on my Facebook page. I will also be writing to my representatives this evening (when I do not have a small boy attached to my body.

) This cannot happen!

 

[ZippyGirl]

There are other posts here about the Consumer Product Safety Information Act. The damage is already being done. Selecta has said it will no longer sell to the US effective 12/31/08.

http://www.playthings.com/article/CA6620437.html

More info at: www.handmadetoyalliance.org

Here is a note from the Holztiger distributor. Please act now because Congress is holding a hearing on this issue on 12/10/08:

Cross-posted in News

PLEASE write to your representatives and ask them to amend the Consumer Product Safety Information Act. Companies like Camden Rose and other small toymakers will most likely have to stop making their beautiful wooden toys for our children if this law goes into effect in February 2009.

And now Selecta is going to exit the US market...no more Selecta toys!!!!!

http://www.playthings.com/article/CA6620437.html

You can get more information on this law at:

www.handmadetoyalliance.org

Here is a message from the Holztiger toy distributor...please read it and pass this along. Call your reps and ask them to straighten out this very well-intentioned but badly written law:

FROM HOLZTIGER DISTRIBUTOR:
The Subcommitte that put this law together is meeting to review its implementation on Wednesday. We need to send a message to them to revise the law or its implementation in ways that will maintain the integrity of the safety standards, but will not decimate the children's products market. Here are the details of the meeting:

The Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection will hold a hearing on Wednesday, December 10, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled "Implementation of the CPSIA: Urgent Questions about Application Dates, Testing and Certification, and Protecting Children." This is an oversight hearing examining implementation of Public Law 110-314 (H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA)). Witnesses will be by invitation only.
The staff briefing for this hearing will be held on Monday, December 8, 2008, at 4:00 p.m. in room 2322 Rayburn House Office Building.

Please contact your Representative of Congress. If any one of these Representatives on the Subcommittee is YOUR representative, PLEASE be sure to call & email them to voice your concerns about the provisions in the law as they affect you and the children's products industry in general. Please do this today and Monday. Here is the contact information at the CPSC...please contact them with your concerns too.

 

[bscal]

Thank you for posting this information. I had NO IDEA this was happening. While I am not a crafter, my mother is and one of my dearest friends. I will make them both aware of this and contact my rep as well.

Beth

 

[Quirky]

corrected link on the summary of the law from the apparel/footwear association:

http://www.apparelandfootwear.org/re...mary080902.pdf

 

[aniT]

This will effect everyone, not just WAHM's and small manufactuers. It will force us to buy from Mattel and Fisher Price due to lack of choice. We will not be able to buy beautiful doll dresses from the farmers market.. we will have choice but to buy packaged MIC garbage from the store (or learn to sew ourselves.) And what is this going to do to cloth diapers and accessories? Are they going to be OK? It seems they are being forced to test fabric as well.

 

[aniT]

You can't sign the petition unless you "donate" money to them?

Oh never mind I see it was recorded before that screen.

 

[Mama Dragon]

Just fricken beautiful. THANK YOU to our leaders, I'll be out of business even though I don't make handcraft children's items - the clients I make websites for do

:

 

[1littlebit]

what is freakin wrong with people. its the stupid giant companies with the deadly toys not small businesses and WAHM. our gov. is dumb as rocks.

 

[fruitfulmomma]

So I am flipping through the latest Mothering issue and see they have an article in there praising this new law on pg. 51 - the long goodbye to toxic toys. Surrounding the article are a bunch of lovely toys from places like fair trade kids and nova naturals and I am wondering to myself how much thought they put into how this law is actually going to affect the producers of these toys, us as consumers, and themselves as advertisers for so many small businesses which have absolutely NO way to comply with the third party testing???

 

[Mama Dragon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fruitfulmomma So I am flipping through the latest Mothering issue and see they have an article in there praising this new law on pg. 51 - the long goodbye to toxic toys. Surrounding the article are a bunch of lovely toys from places like fair trade kids and nova naturals and I am wondering to myself how much thought they put into how this law is actually going to affect the producers of these toys, us as consumers, and themselves as advertisers for so many small businesses which have absolutely NO way to comply with the third party testing???

Wait...Mothering praises this???????

 

[beachbaby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Synthea™ Wait...Mothering praises this???????

I searched the magazine homepage and the only mention of this I could find is a link to this article....no mention of how this will affect the natural toy companies Mothering promotes in the magazine....

 

[flowers]

We can't let this happen.

I will pass the info as much as possible. There are too many of us who are near and dear to the process of handcrafting and wahming.

 

[Mama Dragon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by beachbaby I searched the magazine homepage and the only mention of this I could find is a link to this article....no mention of how this will affect the natural toy companies Mothering promotes in the magazine....

I looked as well, I imagine it's only in the magazine itself.

 

[fruitfulmomma]

"Wait...Mothering praises this??????? "

Yup... The articles main focus is on the recalls last year from lead paint and choking hazards. They mention several different big name companies that were in violation of already existing laws. The article also specifically states that third-party testing will be required for lead and potential hazards.

So... then they have this little quote "Say Hello to the Good Stuff" and "These toys are safe, eco-friendly, and toxin-free." and pictures of toys from The Wooden Wagon, Fair Trade Kids, A Toy Garden, Nova Natural, Living Playing, and Three Sisters Toys. I know for a fact that Nova Natural deals in independent manufacturers like Elves and Angels and featured a German artist in their latest catalog. Now, tell me how these people are supposed to comply with a $4,000 per toy third-party testing law?

I also know that many cloth diaper manufacturers are *very* concerned and believe this law may apply to them as well as anyone who makes any type of apparel for kids 12 and under.

 

[Mama Dragon]

I rarely use that smiley but it applies here. Ugh. Who wrote the article? I think I need to send an email

:

 

[fruitfulmomma]

Yes, the article I am referring to is in the November/December Print Magazine. This is their annual Best Natural Toys issue.

I think the author (Mindy Pennybacker of www.greenerpenny.com) is sincere in her desire to see children safe, I am just not convinced that either her or the editors thoroughly thought through the consequences of this law. They are clearly promoting the local, hand-made natural toys, yet I am afraid that the manufacturers of these toys are the very people who are going to be so negatively affected by this law and whose wonderful products we are going to lose!

 

[Mamafreya]

I am so so sad about this. What happens now with cloth diapers? Should I be stocking up on diaper covers and cloth diaper accessories before feb? I would imagine from everything that I've read it's going to be almost impossible to find diaper covers after this law goes into effect. Also does anyone know what happens to places like Goodwill? I'm assuming that they will no longer be able to sell childrens things at all??
Oh, one more question. Will it be safe to blog about making childrens toys and clothes now? Could you get in trouble for making things for children even if you aren't selling them?

This law really makes me feel

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