CPSIA

The acronym can be as daunting as what it stands for, which is Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, and it has a huge impact on the crafting world.

Seems that large companies such as Mattel like to outsource to China, which in recent history has created quite a stir with its recall of toys that contain way too much lead. In an effort to make items safer for children 12 and under, anyone who sells things to that target market MUST get their items tested by an accredited testing lab. In other words, those who craft children’s products (including but not limited to: toys, clothing, books, CDs, DVDs, etc) for a living may be SOL unless they can afford the testing fees. Sounds ominous, right? Well, to a degree, it is. But luckily, yarns were just exempted, as was fabric, which is good news for crocheters, knitters, and sewers. However, if you plan to crochet or knit items for the 12 and under group and that item has buttons, ribbons, snaps, zippers, and such, it needs to be tested. According to the representative at CPSC which I spoke to today, manufacturers of such notions are responsible for their own testing. It is up to the consumer/crafter of the notions to contact said manufacturer for documentation of the testing. However, I’m not 100% sure she knew what she was talking about, so that may still be a grey area.

Whew. Confused yet? I know I am.

Also, the crafted-for-sale items have to have a label on them. I haven’t gotten all of the information on that as yet, but from what I do understand, it has to be attached to the item and there’s specific information that has to be included.

If that isn’t enough, anyone who crafts for charitable causes have to abide by the same rules, so if you are making a baby hat and bootie set to donate to the local hospital and think that yellow ribbon adds just the right touch, leave it off and save yourself one of the headaches. Just make sure you get the label in place.

Don’t get me wrong: I am all for the safety of children, but if large manufacturers would suppress their greed and have some concern for their fellow man, laws such as this just might not be necessary.

I would personally like to thank Mattel–who, by the way, has been given permission from CPSC to test some of their own items–and other large toy manufacturers, as well as others who have been involved in the lead recalls for making it more difficult on the small businesses. Lucky for me, I write the patterns more than I try to sell the products created from them. My strategy is to stay away from the 12 & under group as a target market for any items I want to make and sell. This does seem to affect my local crochet guild and the items we donate to some charities, though. It’s an area I’m still researching.

More to come on this as I learn more about it, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here’s some links to help you become acquainted with this year-old law:

Happy Crocheting!
~T