Some thoughts on CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act)

For several months now I have thought about opening a store on etsy or shophandmade to sell my bows and possible other items. I had asked several friends, in real life and online, their thoughts and opinions. I came to a decision that it was a good idea and that I should go for it. My online friend Julia, who is VERY crafty, has plans that are in the works to open up an online store to sell her creations. Fortunately for her, the majority of the things she makes are made of products not on the CPSIA list that would need testing. Unfortunately for me, any hair bow that I make using a clip would have to be tested. If I were to make bow holders, they would have to be tested also. Button bracelets would have to be tested also. All of the items that I had thought about making would have to be tested. Can I afford that? No. Will I continue to make items for my family and friends? If the CPSIA has anything to say about that, no I wouldn't. The following excerpt is from my friend Julia at http://www.madeinthemountins.blogspot.com/. She has provided a link for more information regarding the rules and regulations at the bottom of her post. A simple solution would be for any manufacturer that sells more than an x amount of dollars a month must follow these guidelines. My thoughts about this are the same as Julia's so she said I could repost it on my blog.


The CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) is so redunk... While the basis for it is great, it has the potential to put alot of small businesses and home crafters out of business. It states that any manufacturer (and it defines a manufacturer as any person or business who makes products for sale or even donation, so under the CPSIA I am a "manufacturer") who manufactures products intended for use by children under the age of 12 to have their products tested for lead, pthalates, and "other harmful chemicals" by independent lab testing facilities, at the expense of the manufacturer. And not just one of each type of product you make, but one of each type, from each BATCH of that product you make. There are exceptions, and thank goodness so far all my baby stuff falls under the exception category (anything made of yarns or fabrics, so long as they do not include any metallic threads, or things like buttons, snaps, clasps, zippers, etc), but man... The law apparently is in effect now, but won't be enforced until February 2010, but manufacturers are expected to be or to become compliant now... While I am ALL for safety and regulation of children's products, this goes a wee bit overboard. It is also unclear whether you are exempt if your products are made from ingredients or parts bought from compliant manufacturers... If that were the case, it would be great, but unfortunately I'm not sure it is the case... The Batch thing is pretty redunk too... and I'm not sure how they classify a 'batch', if it's the number of the same product you can make in one sitting, or the number made from the same batch of ingredients (so say you made shirts with snaps on them from one bolt of fabric and one box of snaps- is it how many shirts you can make in one sitting, or how many you can make from that bolt and box?) For a home crafter like me, this law would be devastating. Testing of products could cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, per test. This law is clearly designed for big time manufacturers where quality and safety can get lost amidst the mass, but unfortunately the wording of the law is very broad, and in being broad, encompasses 'manufacturers' like me. Don't get me wrong, I would NEVER make or sell a product that was harmful to it's target user. And regardless of this law, I would take whatever steps to ensure that all ingredients or parts were sourced from compliant manufacturers and were of the highest quality and safety. But really? Must I send one of everything to a lab to be tested? Even if I made a hat and put a cute little butterfly button on it or something like that... And I could even state that the hat is not intended for an infant (so they wouldn't be sucking on the button)... An 11 year old knows better than to suck on the button on her hat... I don't know... It just seems redunk to me... It will be very interesting (and sad) to see what happens to sites like Etsy.com once this law is actually in effect and being enforced. Will the CPSC bother with small time crafters like me? I'd hope they'd focus their enforcing efforts on big manufacturers, which are typically the ones needing the most enforcing... but who knows... we could all be vulnerable...


*Edit* -Here is a great article about the CPSIA, with several good links within the article as well. It also has more of the exempt materials listed on page 2 of the article. http://womeninbusiness.about.com/od/lawsaffectingwib/a/CPSIA-aboutact.htm


What are your thoughts on this?