Safety is our number one priority. Our members are committed to protecting the children who play with their toys. Also, our industry and our members’ credibility and reputation depend on this commitment.
Calling for targeted actions on unreputable operators who threaten toy safety
The reputable industry applies strict EU rules and standards throughout the design, manufacture and testing processes. While reputable toy companies go to great lengths to ensure toy safety, there are unfortunately untrustworthy operators on the market who prioritise profit over safety. For example, they will falsely give their toys a CE marking. Many of these rogue traders operate online.
In 2020, TIE did an online mystery shopping exercise together with our national member organisations. The conclusions clearly pointed to regulatory gaps when toys are sold by non-EU 3rd party sellers through online marketplaces. These loopholes need to be closed so as not to allow the sale of unsafe toys in the EU. When no other actor in the supply chain can be held liable, the online marketplaces should take on this responsibility. We also continue to call on European and national authorities to strongly enforce existing toy safety rules so that unreputable traders are caught out. New rules are unlikely to deter them: they will merely continue business as usual. The best solution is strong enforcement with consequences for those that ignore them.
Toy Safety Tips
As unsafe toys from dishonest traders still find their way to the European market, consumers must remain vigilant and only buy toys from trustworthy sources. Families and carers must continue to keep safety in mind also after they acquired the toy. To help keeping playtime safe and fun, we have developed a set of toy safety tips. They cover the important things to look out for before and after buying a toy. Discover them here.
TIE helps shape strong toy safety rules
Since the first European toy safety regulation more than 30 years ago, the toy industry has contributed to shaping toy safety rules.
We have shared our expertise with the European Commission for guidance documents on several complex subjects within the Toy Safety Directive. This includes guidance on toys for children under 36 months and guidance on toys that can be put in the mouth.
We participate in the EU’s Toy Safety Expert Group to help explain how to interpret different aspects of the Toy Safety Directive.
Along with national experts and consumer groups, we actively participate in the work of standardisation bodies CEN-CENELEC to offer concrete advice and proposals for improvement to ensure European toy safety standards will best guarantee safety.
97% of toys bought from third-party sellers on major online marketplace were non-compliant with EU law and 76% of those tested by an independent laboratory were deemed unsafe for children (TIE’s 2020 Online Marketplaces Report)
