Almost 3.5 million fake toys were seized by EU customs officials in 2017.
The retail value of the seizures would have amounted to over 21 million Euros if the potentially dangerous fake toys had reached the streets. As well as putting children at risk, this would have had a damaging impact on the sale of safe toys from reputable manufacturers.
Toys represented 11% of counterfeit goods detained at EU borders in 2017 although, as with other product categories, there was a significant reduction in the number of fake toys captured on the previous year of around 50%.
Toy Industries of Europe Director General Catherine Van Reeth said:
“Reputable toy companies work hard to ensure their toys are safe for children to play with. Producers of fake toys look to cut costs, and often ignore the relevant safety standards. Counterfeiters do not play by the same rules as the reputable toy sector, and in doing so present a threat to our children’s safety.
“TIE fully supports EU customs in their effort to prevent fake toys from entering the EU. We believe the use of smarter, more targeted market surveillance which focuses on these rogue traders will help prevent counterfeit goods from being placed on the EU market.”
The full report can be found here.
