Magicforest,
LTD
Exclusive Importer of Italian Brands:
Sevi, Trudi and Olli
300 West Road, Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03301
Ph. 888-665-6344, Fax. 603-6773
The new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of
2008 (CPSIA) has regulations and benchmarks to help ensure that childrenıs
products in our market are safe.
One of the most important new rules is that products intended for
children age 12 and under are tested by a scientific laboratory, accredited by
the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Magicforest is an importer of childrenıs toys and
games from the Italian company, Trudi.
Trudi brand products are manufactured with the brand names: Trudi, Sevi
and Olli. Because the new law is
sweeping, and some misinformation exists in the marketplace, we supply the
following information in the form of frequently asked questionsı FAQ) to help
you, as our customer, navigate through the complexities of this new law and
summarize the responsibilities that apply to both of us.
Why is the CPSC involved? The CPSC is the branch of the US government
designated by the new CPSIA to be responsible for implementing, regulating, and
enforcing the new mandates.
Why does the testing laboratory have to be
accredited by the CPSC? Because the lab must demonstrate their
ability to properly test in conformity to the American Society of Testing
Materials standard ASTM F963-07.
What is the ASTM F963 standard? This standard (ASTM F963) is specifically aimed at
determining the:
-
Age appropriateness,
especially for 36 months and younger
-
Presence of choking or
physical hazards in the form of small parts, balloons, marbles, or magnets
-
Presence of carcinogens
or hazardous chemicals in surface paints and/or components like lead, cadmium,
and AZO dyes, for example.
The standard has been around for a long time, but is
updated from time to time as new potential hazards come to light.
What are the new labeling requirements for
advertising? The presence of choking or physical hazards in a
childrenıs product has required a label on the front panel of the product for
over 20 years. It was mandated by
a specific section of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA), and was
updated recently to include magnets because of intestinal damage that can occur
if they are ingested.
As a retailer or consumer, you probably have seen
these warning labels. There are
clear specifications about the size and content of these labels. The CPSIA now
mandates that the warning labels must also be included on advertising that end
consumers use to make a purchase.
This includes advertising in print as well as on the web.
Magicforest does not currently sell products on its
website nor does it produce printed material designed for end consumers. Magicforest is a wholesaler. However, we are happy to supply
retailers with a list of products that require these warning labels under the
new CPSIA rules.
You can download a list of the items that Magicforest
imports that require a warning label from our website: www.magicforest.com/trudi/sevi_warnings.pdf. The products that Magicforest imports
that require a warning label are a selection of items marketed under the Sevi
brandname.
If you are selling product to retail customers using
an on-line web store or a brick and mortar store using printed flyers or
catalogs for your customers, you are now required to put these warning labels
near the advertisements for each product.
Please feel free to contact us if you need help or have questions.
What does the CPSIA have to do with the ASTM F963
standard? It changed the standard from a voluntary one to a compulsory one. Most manufacturers followed the ASTM
standard but the new law forces every manufacturer or importer of childrenıs
products into the United States to abide by it.
All Magicforest products have been tested and passed
or exceeded the ASTM F963 standards before Congress made them compulsory. The products we import were also tested
and meet all requirements under the toy standards in the European Union (EN-71
parts I, II, and II).
What are phthalates? Phthalates (pronounced thalatesı) are chemicals used
as plasticizing agents in plastics to make them softer. There are thirteen of
them and at least six may be hazardous at high exposures. Scientific research is currently
ongoing; the effects of these chemicals on young children is unknown.
None of our products contain phthalates. The
CPSIA aims to limit the amount of phthalates in products designed for young
children (<36 months) in 2009.
Testing must be done if there is reason to believe
that phthalates are in the product.
A common misconception is that every product must be tested for
phthalates. This is not true. For example, there is no reason to test
a wooden toy for phthalates if there are no plastics used in the product.
What does the CPSIA do about lead in childrenıs
products? The CPSIA seeks to severely restrict the total amount of
lead in childrenıs products, and not just on the surface of the product; it
limits the total lead
content. Electronics and those
components not easily accessible by a child have been exempted.
Lead and other heavy metals like cadmium are known to
cause brain damage. Lead was added
to gasoline and paints in the past.
Laws were put into place long ago to end this practice in the United
States. This has not necessarily
been the case in other countries, so we should be vigilant in this global
marketplace.
Some of our wooden toys from Sevi use pigments and
paints on the outside surface. Sevi uses vegetable-based, non-toxic, and child-safe
pigments. On a few Sevi items, a
clear varnish layer is used to protect the integrity of the underlying silk-screened
image. These finishes are tested
individually for toxic chemicals including lead and cadmium.
A simple test you can perform yourself is to rub, as
if it were a crayon, one of our painted items on white paper. The pigment will show on the paper if
it is vegetable based. None of our
products contain lead.
What is a Certificate of Conformity?
Compliance of the new testing requirements is transmitted to interested
parties with a Certificate of Conformity (COC). There are specific pieces of
information that are included on the COCıs: the item number(s), description(s), age grading, the manufacturer,
the lab, etc. The CPSC has (2/1/09) delayed this requirement for one year.
Magicforest imports merchandise manufactured by the
Trudi company under the brand names: Trudi, Sevi and Olli. Trudi is an Italian manufacturer with
factories located in China. A team
of Trudi quality assurance personnel are on-site full-time to assure the
integrity of their products. They adhere to the guidelines of the ANSI E1 rules
for quality assurance.
Our supplier, Trudi, uses independent laboratories that are either accredited or soon to be accredited by the CPSC. For each product that Magicforest imports, there is a lengthy scientific report generated by the testing laboratory. The results are technical, but we have extensive experience in testing and analyzing materials. Magicforest reviews these tests and only imports products that pass the requisite ASTM tests and are properly age-graded before it certifies them to meet the new CPSIA requirements. If you or your customers desire a more technical explanation, weıre prepared and happy to accommodate.
We have a certificate (COC) for every product we import as a wholesale company. The Magicforest certificates are available via email, fax, or email upon request and will soon be available on our website. Please phone or email us if you require them.
The matter of safety is important to us. We want to you feel confident that
Magicforest products are very safe, age-graded carefully and appropriately,
properly labeled and certified.
Please call or email us if need help or have questions
on any issues pertaining to the new CPSIA.
Thank you.
Dr. Robert Leuchtner, President
Magicforest, Ltd
888-665-6344
Email for questions: sales@magicforest.com