Toys
(BRUSSELS) – The EU Commission published a public consultation Thursday on the revision of the EU Toy Safety Directive, with the aim of addressing chemical risks that could compromise children’s health and safety.
Interested parties are invited to express their views and share experiences on how EU toy safety rules could better protect children when they play with toys, and ways to guarantee the safety of toys that are sold in the EU’s Single Market.
In the EU, Regulation No 1272/2008 on Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) determines whether a substance or mixture displays properties that lead to it being classified as hazardous. The Toy Safety Directive generally bans in toys substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction (CMRs) under the CLP Regulation, with only a few derogations.
The Commission is seeking input on the main shortcomings identified in its assessment of the Toy Safety Directive, which include: chemicals used in toys and unsafe toys which continue to circulate in the EU, mainly sold online.
This initiative builds on the EU’s chemicals strategy for sustainability of 14 October 2020, which forms part of the EU’s zero pollution ambition, and forms part of the EU’s strategy to better protect the public and the environment from hazardous chemicals. It is also aimed at encouraging innovation in the development of safe and sustainable replacements under the Europe’s ‘Green Deal’.
This initiative also aims to ensure that toy safety rules are fit for the digital age and the Commission is committed to exploring opportunities to digitise product safety and compliance information, in line with the EU’s industrial strategy, and its 2021 update.
The public consultation will be open until 25 May.
Public consultation for the targeted revision of the Toy Safety Directive
Legislation on the safety of toys in the EU - guide
