Children's products plasticizer ban strict control, toy exports are facing the test

According to the latest report from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), CPSC will recently finalize the final rules on restrictions on the use of plasticizers in children's products and vote on October 18, 2017. The new regulations to be voted on are based on the CPSC's special survey report released in 2014 and the draft regulations developed under the report. As the final rule is consistent with the proposal, plasticizers for mandatory permanent ban on toys and child care products in the United States will increase from three to eight, and the severity will increase significantly, and export enterprises will pay close attention.

The US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) issued in 2008 stipulates that DEHP, DBP and BBP three types of o-benzene plasticizers are subject to a permanent ban on the reproductive system and endocrine system of children. DINP, DIDP and DNOP Benzene plasticizer was implemented for a temporary ban. On July 18, 2014, CPSC's Chronic Hazard Advisory Group (CHAP), after four years of investigation, officially released a Hazard Analysis Report on Phthalates and Their Substitutes in Toys and Child Care Products, covering children Various plasticizers involved in the product (including those not listed in the CPSIA). According to the CHAP report, CPSC issued a proposal for a ban on toys and children's products containing specific plasticizers at the end of 2014. The proposal states that a permanent ban on DEHP, DBP, BBP will be maintained, a temporary ban on DINP will be upgraded to a permanent ban, and a temporary ban on DIDP and DNOP will be lifted. At the same time, increase the DIBP, DPENP, DHEXP and DCHP four kinds of o-benzene plasticizer to implement a permanent ban. The CPSC should have finalized the final rule and issued it in the next year of the proposal, but the new regulations have not been introduced. The vote is expected to bring the above proposals into force. According to the CPSIA regulations, the inclusion of a ban means that the substance must not exceed 0.1%, otherwise it will be considered unqualified.

Toys and other children's products is an important export commodities in China, only Ningbo port exports from January to July this year has more than 5.4 billion, an increase of 27%, of which the US market accounted for about three percent. As the new regulations involved in the new plasticizer, in addition to DEHP, DBP and other more common, the enterprise is relatively unfamiliar to other plasticizers, the risk to be concerned about. Special note is that China in January 2016 implementation of the mandatory toy standard GB6675-2014 mainly refer to the EU standards, restrictions on objects, including DEHP and other six kinds of common plasticizers, and the United States will add a permanent ban on the DIBP, DPENP, etc. Plasticizers, GB and the EU standard has not yet set limits, after the adoption of the proposal, China's toy export industry will have a greater impact.

Experts remind the export enterprises: First, attach great importance to the dynamics of European and American laws and regulations. Strengthen the content of interpretation, and technical barriers to work into the enterprise quality control system, improve risk prevention capabilities. Second, the strict implementation of the compliance test before export. Testing is to ensure the final protection of product quality, export of children's products should be in strict accordance with the relevant standards and regulatory requirements, plasticizers, heavy metals and other high-risk items of compliance testing, and the report as a accompanying document to customers, Probability. Third, continue to improve the quality of soft management. Enterprises should be safe, environmental protection as the starting point, and gradually establish a sound raw materials management system and product design audit mechanism, and strengthen the production process management, from the source to prevent quality risks, improve the quality and safety level.