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Although the toy industry is one of the most regulated industries, 32% of the 2010 product recalls are toys. Parents expecting toys to be safe should pay attention to small parts and broken or easily breakable parts when buying toys for their children or any products related to children.
SGS provides toy manufacturers, importers and retailers with a comprehensive range of quality assurance services to help them ensure toys comply with safety requirements and meet customers’ expectations. Download the Global Toy Services brochure (PDF 2.03 MB)
International Toy Safety Requirements
Major toy safety issues are: choking with small parts, strangulation, cuts by sharp parts, electrical hazards, chemical substances (phthalates, lead, cadmium…). To improve toy safety, major toy markets have set up their own toy standards and regulations. SGS can test all toys according to national and international standards and regulations including EN, ASTM, ISO, AS/NZS, BS, ST, NM.
- Focus on EU toy legislation
In Europe toys must meet the requirements in the EU Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC (PDF 995 KB) in order to carry the mandatory CE mark.
More about the new EU Toy Directive
- Focus on U.S. toy legislation
New federal legislation took effect in August 2008 in the form of the Consumer Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). Various aspects of this legislation became mandatory throughout 2009, like mandatory compliance to ASTM F963 and tracking marking requirements. The CPSIA restricts the amount of lead and phthalates that may be contained in children’s products, toys and childcare articles for children ages
12 and under.
More about the U.S. CPSIA
Toy product categories covered
- Plush Toys
- Dolls
- Ride-on Toys
- Projectile Toys
- Games
- Decorative Collectibles
- Figurines
- Books
- Construction Toys
- Battery Operated Toys
- “Magnetic toys”
- Creative Art Material
- Puzzles
- Toys in food
Toy Testing Services
SGS offers a wide range of toy testing services including:
- Physical and Mechanical Testing: Tensile /static /torque test (EN 71-1), Safety aspects (EN 71-8), ASTM F963, ISO 8124-1…
- Flammability Testing: EN 71-2, ASTM F963, ISO 8124-2…
- Fitness for Use
- Chemical Testing
- Migration of Toxic Elements /Heavy Metals Analysis (EN 71-3, ASTM F963, CPSIA, ISO 8124-3…)
- Phthalates (Phthalates REACH Annex XVII, ASTM F963, CPSIA, ST Part 3 . . .)
- Azo Dyes (Azo Dyes REACH Annex XVII, GB 19865 . . .)
- Cadmium (Cadmium REACH Annex XVII, CPSC)
- Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) in electrically operated toys)
- Microbiological Assessment
- Food Contact
- Electric Toy Safety: EN 62115, 16 CFR 1505, ASTM F963 (resistance to heat and fire, short-circuit test, labelling) – electric toys, radio-controlled toys, battery-powered devices
- Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
Trends for Toys are for children’s electronic toys to stimulate and entertain them. Electronic appliances and especially toys must be interference free and electromagnetically compatible (EMC). The toy should not introduce unacceptable electromagnetic disturbances into its environment (Directive 89/336/EEC and US FCC).
- Other legislation to take into account: waste disposal for electrical and electronic toys (EU WEEE…), hazardous substances in packaging, cosmetics regulations…
Toy Quality Assurance
SGS helps all toy suppliers assess the potential risks at every stage of the life cycle of toy. Beyond testing, SGS offers added-value services for toy safety, quality and performance compliance including:
- Safety /Risk Assessment of toys (Product Integrity Engineering (PIE) Services)
- Factory Audits, Social Audits
- Inspection to check product quality, quantity and labeling before loading of containers
- Certification to get marks that are essential passports to markets including CE mark for Europe, CCC Toys mark for China, ST mark for Japan . . .
SGS Toy Competitive Advantages
- Global network of toy testing laboratories with internationally recognized accreditations (CNAL, HOKLAS, COFRAC, BIS . . .)
- 4 Notified Bodies for toy testing (SGS France, SGS United Kingdom, SGS Netherlands, SGS Germany)
- Highly skilled toy experts in the EU, Americas and in Asia
- SGS internal toy technical committee
- SGS participation in key toy standardization committees in the EU and in the US
- SGS participating to the Expert Working Group Evaluation of Business Safety Measures in the Toy Supply Chain
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