Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act
CBA understands the tremendous effect that CPSIA may have on some of our members. It is our goal to provide you with up-to-date and pertinent information so that you can make informed and wise decisions as it relates to these regulations. Below you will find information published by CBA on CPSIA.
To the left are links to official CPSIA resources. Please become familiar with this information as you seek compliance with CPSIA regulations.
Corporate Responsibility Guidelines & Best Practices, July 2009
March 16, 2009 CBA Retailers+Resources Industry Brief
UPDATE: Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. A little more than one month has passed since the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) went into effect, and retailers are still wading through the ramifications of this law. According to the Wall Street Journal, makers of children’s products and charities that run second-hand shops are stuck with more than $1 billion of inventory they can’t sell.
As reported in the Wall Street Journal, the goods, which have—or are suspected of having—illegal levels of lead or plastic-softening chemicals called phthalates, include everything from beach balls to second-hand clothes to brand-new all-terrain vehicles for children. The goods—piled up in warehouses and storerooms—will have to be incinerated or dumped, resulting in write-offs and disposal costs that the suppliers say they can ill afford. Retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Target Corp., and Toys ‘R’ Us Inc. have told suppliers to take back goods already shipped unless the products are tested and certified as meeting the tough new standards.
CBA encourages all retailers to familiarize themselves with CPSIA’s official Web site, along with the results of a survey regarding supplier conformity that CBA has been collecting. CBA sent a survey out to supplier companies seeking information on the status of their conformity to CPSIA. Click here to see the initial results of that survey. CBA plans to update the results monthly. If suppliers want to complete the survey, click here.
February 23, 2009 CBA Retailers+Resources Industry Brief
Children’s Product Safety Improvement Act. CBA has posted information on the CBA Web site, including a link to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s CPSIA Web site, in order to help keep the Christian retail industry informed of updates to the Children’s Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).
As announced on January 30, 2009, CPSC approved a one-year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements for children’s products manufacturers and importers. CBA encourages all those in the Christian-retail industry to frequently visit not only CBA’s Web site (http://www.cbaonline.org/LeadPaintRule.htm), but also the official CPSIA Web site (http://www.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/Cpsia/cpsia.HTML) for the latest news and information on this far-reaching law.
February 16, 2009 CBA Retailers+Resources Industry Brief
UPDATE: Children’s Product Safety Improvement Act. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) added new information on its FAQ Web site for the Children’s Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) regarding children's books, cassettes and CD's, printed game boards, posters and other printed goods used for children's education. CBA has posted information on the CBA Web site, including a link to the official CPSIA Web site, in order to help keep the Christian retail industry informed of updates to CPSIA.
As announced on January 30, 2009, CPSC approved a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers. CBA encourages all those in the Christian retail industry to frequently visit not only CBA’s Web site, but also the official CPSIA Web site for the latest news and information on this far-reaching law.
February 9, 2009 CBA Retailers+Resources Industry Brief
UPDATE: Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act. CBA has posted information regarding CPSIA on its Web site as a reference guide for the Christian-retail industry. The page references the latest news on the law concerning lead paint in products for children ages 12 years old and younger, along with links to the official CPSIA Web site, press release, and FAQs.
Suppliers can also link to a survey on this page that will help keep the entire Christian-retail industry abreast of the suppliers’ conformity status. CBA will begin posting the results of that survey on March 1, 2009, and will update it weekly as more suppliers complete the survey. Retailers will be able to access the results of the survey to know which products they can continue selling.
The Consumer Products Safety Commission granted a one-year stay of enforcement for CPSIA, but CBA encourages the industry to continue checking the CBA web site for the latest news and information on this far-reaching law.
February 2, 2009 CBA Retailers+Resources Industry Brief
CPSC grants one year stay of testing and certification requirements for certain products. In a press release issued on January 30 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Office of Information and Public Affairs, “The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously (2-0) to issue a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers of regulated products, including products intended for children 12 years old and younger. These requirements are part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which added certification and testing requirements for all products subject to CPSC standards or bans.
The stay does not apply to:
Four requirements for third-party testing and certification of certain children’s products subject to:
- The ban on lead in paint and other surface coatings effective for products made after December 21, 2008;
- The standards for full-size and non full-size cribs and pacifiers effective for products made after January 20, 2009;
- The ban on small parts effective for products made after February 15, 2009; and
- The limits on lead content of metal components of children’s jewelry effective for products made after March 23, 2009.”
To read the press release in its entirety, click here.
January 26, 2009 CBA Retailers+Resources Industry Brief
Industry Alert: Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. The soon-to-be-enacted Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) affects the entire Christian Retail Channel, and CBA wants to make sure the industry understands its role regarding this often confusing legislature.
Last year’s scare over contaminated toys made in China caused Congress to rapidly push through a piece of legislation in August 2008 that requires all products (not just toys) aimed at children under age 12 to be certified as safe and virtually lead-free by independent testing at a Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) accredited lab.
CPSIA goes into effect on February 10, 2009, and it covers children’s toys, bikes, books, and clothing. The law will be implemented in three stages, but it is applicable to all products made both prior to this date and after this date, specifically targeting items manufactured for children under age 12. Untested children’s products or products that have not passed the testing criteria cannot be legally sold after February 10.
CPSIA affects both suppliers’ and retailers’ inventory and their ability to sell the inventory after February 10. It is imperative though that both suppliers and retailers understand how to comply with this law as it includes a minimum fine of $100,000 and possible felony prison time for each violation of the law.
While CPSIA seems daunting and perhaps even unfair, in recent weeks Congress has been evaluating the far-reaching ramifications of this act that it didn’t see when it first enacted the legislature. Congressional conversations exist of lessening CPSIA’s regulations or revising its broad-stroke standards. However, revision will most likely not come before February 10.
CBA understands the tremendous effect CPSIA might have on lost inventory dollars along with the struggle many of its members are facing in these difficult economic times. CBA is committed to keeping the industry as updated as possible when it comes to knowing which suppliers are compliant with CPSIA and which are still in the process of obtaining certificates of conformity. CBA wants every supplier of children’s products to complete this short survey regarding their compliancy, so as not to be considered completely non-compliant. Click here to access the survey.
As CBA gathers this information in the next week, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the details of CPSIA. Click here to go to the CPSC Web site to read the full text of the law and view additional information. Other online resources include these articles from the Wall Street Journal and Forbes magazine.
If you wish to take more action, you can contact the offices of both Congressman Waxman (who is arguing for CPSIA revisions) and your particular state representatives. Let them know your concerns over CPSIA’s implementation and express your desire to at least see the law delayed in its implementation. Before it can be implemented, CPSIA needs further clarification concerning its provisions and the impact of this law on the entire retail ecosystem. You can access your list of state senators and congressman along with their contact information by clicking here.
If you have more questions about this legislation, e-mail CBA at info@cbaonline.org.
If you have more questions about this legislation, e-mail CBA at info@cbaonline.org. Regular updates will be given through CBA's weekly e-newsletter, CBA Retailers+Resources Industry Brief. The newsletter is free and you can sign up by clicking here and filling out the sign-up form.
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