Toy Safety Recalls Have Parents Worried: Safe and Eco-friendly Toys and Games Seem to be the Answer

The shock waves from all the recent toy recalls are just astounding. Parents these days find themselves questioning nearly every toy they purchase, wondering if there is a potential hazard, like lead paint, lurking  within, and how these toys were even allowed to get to market in the first place.

It seems that the most common factor in the recent toy recalls is that they were manufactured in China. According to Consumer Product Safety Commission spokesman Scott Wolfson, 60% of all recalls (not just toys) are for products made in China. As for toys, it's even clearer: of the 24 CPSC recalls in 2007, all of them were for products made in China. But that number doesn’t even come close to the number of voluntary recalls issued by companies themselves, hundreds of them in 2007 alone. It’s no wonder: according to the Toy Industry Association, approximately 80% of all toys in the US are manufactured in China. Yikes!!

And another troubling factor: even some of our most popular toy brands, brands that I grew up with as a kid, are issuing recalls: Fisher Price, Mattel, Thomas the Train. It seems to be getting difficult to know who and what we can trust to be safe for our children.

To see a complete list of CPSC recalls since 1975, click here. It is a very eye-opening experience to see how many products make it to market, only to be recalled shortly thereafter. Whatever happened to thorough safety testing before a product hits the shelves?? Apparently, the CPSC does not have the authority to test the safety of products before they become available to the public- they leave that up to the manufacturer! Well, it appears that Congress is finally seeing something wrong with that, and tougher Safety Bills are now on the table for lawmakers to vote on. You can send your Congressman an urgent message of support for tougher safety regulations by clicking here. The link will take you t o a Care2 petition urging stronger consumer product legislation.

Amidst all this recall turmoil, there is a bit of sunshine. Wonderful new, green products are sprouting up all around us, including in the toy department. It's making more and more sense to turn to eco-friendly, green companies, because they usually have much higher safety and health standards than conventional companies do. Green businesses seek to source locally whenever possible, and when not, try to source from Fair Trade Certified and inspected sources; they use recycled materials, eco-friendly dyes and paints (read: NO lead), and natural materials; and they have founded their businesses around a commitment to our health and safety.

One such company that makes safe and eco-friendly games for kids (and, actually, adults, too!) is BioViva, distributed by KVale Games. We are thrilled here at The Greater Green to be carrying one of their exceptionally adorable games for youngsters aged 3 and up called My First 3 Nature Games. Made of recycled and safe materials, and manufactured in Canada (NOT China), this game is also extremely educational in nature, teaching kids early concepts about the eco-systems that surround them. We hope that this new game provides comfort for parents out there who have been shaken by all of these recalls!