CPSIA Affecting Gymboree

[Former_Member]

Interesting article about how it is affecting a big company.
http://learningresourcesinc.blogspot.com/2009/03/cpsia-body-count-rises.html

[Coolstraps]

Lori, thanks for posting this article. There seems to be a common misconception that "large" companies somehow want this law, especially in its current form. They don't. The only folks I can think of who like this law are the eco-freaks and the legislators whose campaigns they fund.

[gothicrow]

coolstraps says:
The only folks I can think of who like this law are the eco-freaks and the legislators whose campaigns they fund.

This is so true, and yet they are pushing (forcing)light bulbs with Mercury in them.

[Former_Member]

I don't make childrens' products, so I don't know a lot of the details, but this situation seems to be totally out of control. I am passionate about environmental protection, and am very conscious about harmful chemicals in day-to-day life. However, it's amazing to me that so many companies with completely harmless products are being caught up in this, while so many in the food and pharmaceutical industries are filling American children AND adults with poison every day! Children are far worse off eating the typical American diet than playing with the average toy.

How many playgrounds have been using typical pressure-treated wood all these years? That stuff is full of arsenic and other poisons.

[Former_Member]

I agree Phantom. I think to me what is ironic is that this whole thing started from the importing lead filled items from China and now it seems like the only companies that can stay afloat will be companies like Mattel and Hasbro that import from China.

[Former_Member]

That sucks! I also feel sorry for the Chinese workers in those factories (many of them children). They get paid practically nothing and there are very few safety precautions in place. It's disgusting.

[Former_Member]

I believe that many companies are dumping merchandise because it is too hard to identify which items belong to which test and to get the required permanent labels in place when the items are already in inventory.

The testing, labeling and tracking required by this law must be a nightmare for a factory manager and for an import company. to say nothing about the expense of testing and the delays for testing.

[ChaosToArt]

It's actually not true that larger companies don't want the law. Hasbro and Mattel both hired lobbyist to lobby *for* it.

[ChaosToArt]

Oh, here's a link to where I got that information:
http://bit.ly/SmKBS

[allisajacobs]

thanks for posting!

[Former_Member]

A lot of "eco-freaks" are against it too...because of the waste it is causing of everything being tossed in the land-fills.

The only people who want this law are those who don't really understand it (including, unfortunately, congress). Unfortunately, that's a whole lot of people. I wonder how many congressmen voted on this just because it would look bad to be AGAINST a law "proctecting kids from lead." I respect those who did vote against it even though they knew it could look bad to do so (not that it was self-less...they probably knew it would look good later when the true nature of the thing came to light. But I respect that they at least read the thing and had the foresight to know it would be bad news.)

[Former_Member]

scribbleprints says:
...I wonder how many congressmen voted on this just because it would look bad to be AGAINST a law "proctecting kids from lead." ...
**********
Last year was an election year. I think most did regardless of whether they read the bill or not.

[KGarnerDesigns]

This law was designed to do exactly what it's doing. The non-reaction we're getting from it's congressional supporters affirms that. They have an agenda, and they don't care about us.

[Former_Member]

Thank you for this link.

[Former_Member]

yeah, lorijoz has a point!!

[Former_Member]

This is all so confusing to most people and I for one do not have the time to read everything about it so I really appreciate the time others are spending getting this info to people like me.

[Former_Member]

It has nothing to do with what you call "eco-freaks" I happen to love our planet and am a very environmentally friendly person and the law affects me, I make organic clothing and hand dye with low impact dyes and I will have to test also. It has everything to do with the cheap sh*tty merchandise coming from china..because they have poisoned children with lead. It is a ridiculous law that was started with the intent of protecting children, but was terribly written and way too unclear...

[OgsploshAccessories]

Well said MadeByaMama.

[Former_Member]

Cool: actually the "ecofreaks" hate this law...
it fills the landfills with PERFECTLY FINE, BRAND NEW items, and perfectly fine lightly used items. Everything produced OUGHT to be used up: the overalls with the knees worn through provide fabric from the less worn areas to patch other clothes, or for crafts. The metal buttons should be recycled... etc.

As these things get dumped in the land fill, IF there was anything questionable in them, it's down filtering into the ground water.

Materials and items that have been wasted, now require industries to try to recoup losses by making MORE stuff in a hurry...

NOT good by ANY stretch ecologically.

[Former_Member]

The new lightbulbs DO contain mercury, but the old ones contain lead... the new ones use significantly less electricity (less crap in the air from the power plant) and generally last 3-5 years as opposed to the old ones that last 6 mos-1 year.

It's a trade off... just freaking about a small amount of mercury in exchange for a LARGE amount of stuff that's just as bad, is missing the point. There's no way to have a life without risk or without impact, you just decide to find ways to reduce your impact and reduce your risk.

[Former_Member]

Unfortunately, from the response from my elected representatives, it's pretty clear that NO ONE actually read the law.

[Former_Member]

Thanks, samann1121. I've always suspected this. It seems a little too convenient that the main toymakers adversely affected by CPSIA are exactly those who 'benefitted' from the Chinese toy recalls: small (mostly U.S.) toymakers. As others have pointed out, there have been lead standards in effect for a long time, including during the recalls of toys made in China for the large U.S. toy mfrs. Since they already have testing labs in place (including in-house), they're not scrambling to figure out how to add testing costs into the costs of their products, or how to get in line to have their products tested by the relatively few 3rd party labs all of the rest of us have to use.

[Former_Member]

Does anyone know where to find the link to the CPSC spokeswoman who said on Fox that this wouldn't harm companies selling children's clothes? She said that small seller might feel a bit of impact but for companies like "Gymboree" they probably wouldn't have a problem. Anyone else remember that one?

[Former_Member]

By the way, this is Lordslivingworld. I am opening a new shop. Obviously, got going on the wrong one for forums.