U.S. plasticizer ban may be further tightened, Ningbo toy export companies are facing a big test

(Original title: US plasticizer ban or further tightening of Ningbo toy export companies face a big test) 　　 According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) **new news, CPSC will soon determine the restrictions on the use of plasticizers in children's products* *Final rules, and vote on October 18, 2017. The new regulations to be voted on this time are mainly based on the special investigation report issued by the CPSC in 2014 and the draft regulations formulated based on the report. If the final rules are consistent with the proposal, the mandatory permanent ban on plasticizers in toys and child care products in the United States will increase from the existing three to eight, and the severity will increase significantly. Export companies need to pay close attention. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) issued in 2008 in the United States stipulates that due to the harm to the child's reproductive system and endocrine system, the three types of phthalic plasticizers DEHP, DBP and BBP are permanently banned, and the three types of DINP, DIDP and DNOP are banned. Benzene plasticizers are temporarily banned. On July 18, 2014, CPSC’s Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel (CHAP), after four years of investigation and research, officially released a hazard analysis report on phthalates and their substitutes in toys and child care products, covering children All kinds of plasticizers involved in the supplies (including those not listed by CPSIA). According to the CHAP report, at the end of 2014, the CPSC issued a regulatory proposal for the 'Prohibition of Toys and Children's Products Containing Specific Plasticizers'. The proposal stipulates that the permanent ban on DEHP, DBP, and BBP will be maintained, the DINP temporary ban will be upgraded to a permanent ban, and the temporary ban on DIDP and DNOP will be lifted. At the same time, a permanent ban on four ortho-benzene plasticizers, DIBP, DPENP, DHEXP and DCHP, has been added. The CPSC was supposed to determine the final rules and officially released them in the year following the publication of the proposal, but the new rules have been delayed. The voting is expected to make the above-mentioned regulatory proposals formally effective. According to CPSIA regulations, being included in the ban means that the content of the substance must not exceed 0.1%, otherwise it will be considered unqualified.　　 Toys and other children’s products are my country’s important export commodities. Only Ningbo Port has exported more than 5.4 billion yuan from January to July this year, a year-on-year increase of 27%, of which the US market accounts for about 30%. Due to the large number of plasticizers involved in the above new regulations, in addition to DEHP and DBP, which are relatively common, companies are relatively unfamiliar with other plasticizers, and risks need to be paid attention to. It is particularly important to note that the mandatory toy standard GB6675-2014 implemented in January 2016 in my country mainly refers to EU standards. The restricted objects include DEHP and other six common plasticizers, while the United States will add permanent bans such as DIBP and DPENP. Plasticizers, national standards and EU standards have not yet set restrictions. After the relevant proposals are passed, they will have a greater impact on my country's toy export industry.　　Inspection and quarantine experts remind export companies: First, they attach great importance to the development of European and American technical regulations. Strengthen content interpretation and incorporate technical barrier response work into the corporate quality control system to improve risk prevention capabilities. The second is to strictly implement compliance testing before export. Testing is the ultimate guarantee to ensure product quality. Exported children’s products should be tested for compliance with high-risk items such as plasticizers and heavy metals in strict accordance with relevant standards and regulatory requirements, and the report should be provided to customers as an accompanying document to reduce Probability of being spot-checked. The third is to continuously improve the soft power of quality management. Companies should take safety and environmental protection as the starting point, gradually establish a sound raw and auxiliary material management system and product design review mechanism, and strengthen process management in the production process to prevent quality risks from the source and improve quality and safety.　　Southeast China Business Daily reporter Lao Yucong　　correspondent Bao Qibei Cheng Deyi Qiu Xin　　Keywords: toy companies, the United States　　Recommended reading: Business Tiger Club