Toy Industry Pushing for Aligned International Safety Rules That Lower Barriers to Trade

calling for the alignment of the rules of countries including Colombia, Brazil, China, Indonesia and Egypt, with ASTM F963 or ISO 8124, requirements established by the international standards-setting organizations for consumer toy safety. Recent upticks in international toy regulations have acted as technical barriers to trade, differing from international norms yet offering no additional safety benefits for products, TIA CEO Steve Pasierb said in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman (here). “Some of these standards have been put into place simply to limit imports and protect the competitiveness of a country’s domestic toy industry,” Pasierb said. “While the industry is supportive of international governments enacting toy safety regulations that are based on sound science and that reduce risk of harm, toy safety regulations should not be used as a trade barrier.” The letter also thanks the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for working on behalf of the U.S. toy industry at the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade Committee and with foreign governments. Among other things, USTR persuaded Turkey to lift a “redundant” testing requirement assessed on all toy imports, worked with Taiwan to harmonize chemical regulations with international standards and revise an “inappropriately applied” formamide standard, and convinced Colombia to adopt ASTM F963 as a demonstration of conformity for toys sold in that country, Pasierb said.