And the CPSIA saga continues….
By jenny ~ December 18th, 2008. Filed under: CPSIA.
It’s so great to hear from so many people about the CPSIA saga. The Twitter group is growing strong. Use #cpsia to follow the tweets. But there continues to be so much confusion. I admit, I’m in the same boat.
Hey, a journalist, finally!!! Here is a fantastic article that puts it all in a nutshell. Mark Riffey may be from Montana, but I’d kiss his cheek for finally writing something. Read it here.
I personally think, that one of the most reliable sources right now is Kathleen at Fashion-Icubator. She has already been to Washington DC once and has opened her forum up to the general public for free. She seems to have a deep understanding of manufacturing (in the apparel world) and she has become extremely passionate about this great cause. (There are other great sites educating people on the toy side of things, too. Here’s another great resource: Cpsia-Central)
Kathleen has brought up a new issue. New labeling requirements. Man, what else is tied into this little piece of legislation that we still don’t completely understand? Ugh. She gives a very good explanation here. Most apparel manufacturers already add labels to their products so this won’t be too new. But what about toys? How are you going to stick a label onto a teething ring and not have the kid ingest/drool all over it? Also, there are some issues with some of the definitions, for example: what is considered a “batch”. What an apparel manufacturer considers a “batch” may not be what the CPSC thinks is a “batch”.
About the fabric requirements, what I understand, is that you do have to have the fabric/final product tested. The CPSC claims that they can’t guarantee that I haven’t altered it in any way. (Like add lead Swaroski crystals). So, even though the mill provided me with a certificate that the fabric meets the requirements, I have to test it again. Plus, most fabric already meets the required levels. Seriously, my eyes are tired from rolling them. So much of this is idiotic.
My understanding of the vital dates are that testing must be done on any item made for a child starting Feb. 10th, 2009. The real big day for things to be tested by a “certified 3rd party testers” is Aug. 15th, 2008.
Yes, we love and want to protect our kids, but this whole thing has become so frustrating.
Confused or new to the cause? Read Fashion-Incubator, and CPSIA-Central.
If you really want to get down to the Nitty Gritty! Check out Fashion-Incubator’s War Room.
If anyone has any new insight, I’d love to hear it.
Keep the noise going!!!!
