Seminar on toy and children products safety held in Guangdong

The 2nd International Seminar on Toy and Juvenile Products Safety was held in Guangzhou on Jan 9. It is expected to better position China's toy and juvenile product suppliers in their endeavors to tap into the global market.

The event was jointly organized by the technology center of Guangzhou Customs, the Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation, and the Guangdong Toy Association. About 150 representatives of 70 world-renowned toy and children's product enterprises and institutions attended the meeting.

Christian Wetterberg, chairman of the technical committees for toy safety in both the European Committee for Standardization and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), elaborated on the legislation on toy safety and market supervision in the European Union (EU), as well as the latest development of related international standards.

Chinese officials and experts also expounded on issues regarding the international standardization for toys and children's products during the seminar.

Huang Lina, a researcher at the technology center of Guangzhou Customs, explained the ISO 31110, which are standards for chemical hazards of wheeled child conveyances. Chen Liqiong from Shenzhen Technology University introduced the revision of ISO8124-6, which are standards published a year ago for phthalates in toys and children's products. Lao Yongjian, an expert from the technology center of Guangzhou Customs, detailed the revision of ISO 8124-9, which are standards for safety of toys.

A couple of attendees said that the seminar was very instructive. "With the updated knowledge of the standards, our risk of product recalls will be minimized in the global markets, especially in the EU," an attendee surnamed Chen said.

About 57.7 percent of the 2,065 recalls released in 2018 by RAPEX, the rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products adopted in the EU, were toys and children's products.

The seminar will help to keep the export business of Guangdong's toy and children product sectors on track, Chen noted.

Guangdong exported $50.38 billion of traditional toys in 2018, accounting for 54.66 percent of the nation's total.