$69 Ikea dresser passes CR’s toughest furniture tip-over test
May 3, 2018, Consumer Reports
A new round of Consumer Reports testing into dresser stability underscores the need for a tougher, more expansive tip-over standard to make homes safer for young children and others potentially at risk. CR’s latest testing backs up our earlier findings that the industry already manufactures reasonably priced dressers that won’t easily tip over and potentially injure or kill young children. For example, the Ikea KULLEN and Ikea NORDLI dressers that passed CR’s latest testing currently sell for $69 and $129, respectively.
U.S. Grand Jury indicts former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn in emissions scandal
May 4, 2018, The Star
A federal grand jury in Detroit has indicted former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn on charges stemming from the company’s diesel emissions cheating scandal in a plot that prosecutors allege reached the top of the world’s largest automaker. The four-count indictment charges Winterkorn, 70, with three counts of wire fraud and one of conspiring with other senior VW executives and employees to violate the Clean Air Act.
Toys “R” Us bankruptcy information
May, 2018, Toy Association
The Toy Association has created this section to provide a place for members of the toy community to monitor the status of the Toys“R”Us bankruptcy and liquidation process. The Toy Association intends to act as a clearinghouse for information from TRU on the bankruptcy case and to get similar creditor questions answered and shared with the broader membership.
Statement of Commissioner Elliot F. Kaye on re-emphasizing safety in ATV action plans.
April 18, 2018, cpsc.gov
Commissioner Kaye charges that There has been unacceptably slow progress in advancing ATV safety since the products were first introduced in the 1970s.In 2008, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) effectively banned three‐wheeled ATVs and required the CPSC to adopt the ANSI/SVIA standard and any subsequent revisions of that standard as a mandatory consumer product safety standard. Yet, ten years later, Commissioner Kaye says that rule making remains open in large part because the CPSC lacks the critical funding needed to fully advance the technical issues identified by CPSC staff.
ASTM ICPHSO roundtable 2018 proposed age guidelines for toys
April 17, 2018, cpsc.gov
More than 40 children’s toy products have been added to the guidelines that address proposed age appropriate use of these products. The toys cover the following categories: Exploratory and practice play, building play, pretend and role play, and game and activity play.
EU plans to ban plastics plates and balloons from children’s birthday parties
April 30, 2018, Express News
Brussels is planning to ban party items such as balloons on sticks, party plates and drinking straws as part of the EU Commission’s strategy on single use plastics. According to a draft legislative proposal, European Union chiefs are looking to ban party items with a one-use function to cut pollution caused by plastics damaging the environment, including oceans and beaches.
Legislative Update: Behind the scenes of the Vermont Governor’s veto of chemicals bill
March 5, 2018, The Northfield News
A legislator writes: “Earlier this week, the Senate, then the House dealt with the Governor’s veto of S.103, an act relating to the regulation of toxic substances and hazardous materials. The Senate overrode the veto, but the House sustained it. The media reported this veto as being anti-children, but really there is so much more to it.”
Marketing to children
May 1, 2018, JDSupra (Fox Rothschild LLP)
When marketing products or services to children, companies should be aware of applicable statutes and guidance and should be particularly cautious with their advertising claims. Companies have a number of rules and acts that govern children advertising and privacy issues.
SEA report to CPSC “Vehicle Characteristics Measurements of ATVs Tested on Groomed Dirt”
February, 2018, cpsc.gov
The report titled, “Vehicle Characteristics Measurements of ATVs Tested on Groomed Dirt,” presents the results of autonomous dynamic vehicle testing conducted by SEA, Ltd (SEA) on 12 model year 2014-2015 adult single-rider all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to study lateral stability and handling characteristics of ATVs on a groomed dirt surface.
Analysis: Insurance and the consumer IoT
April 30, 2018, Ecommerce Times
Smart home and consumer Internet of Things solutions promise significant opportunities for the insurance industry in terms of reducing costs, alleviating risks, deepening customer engagement, and creating new services and revenue streams. There are many barriers ahead to overcome, but given the tremendous upside, insurance companies have begun attacking these challenges with a multi-tiered strategy.
Expanding the Consumer Bill of Rights for material ingredients
April, 2018, Materials Today
In President John F. Kennedy’s original 1962 speech to the United States Congress, he called for the “right to be informed” into what is now called the Consumer Bill of Rights. Specifically, he pointed out that, “…if the consumer is unable to choose on an informed basis, then his dollar is wasted, his health and safety may be threatened, and the national interest suffers.” With significant evolution in material science and the information technology revolution, as well as the Internet, the ability to provide material ingredients for every product is no longer limited by technical feasibility.
New government of Canada regulations protect children from exposure to lead and cadmium
May 2, 2018, Newswire.ca
Parents want to do the best for their children and they need to know that the products that their children come into contact with every day are safe. That is why Health Canada is introducing new limits for toxic metals in children’s products to protect children from exposure to lead and cadmium through updates to the Children’s Jewelry Regulations and through new Consumer Products Containing Lead Regulations.
