Tagged: CPSIA
Posted October 12th, 2011 in Milagros News, public policy | Tags: CPSIA |
We have blogged about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and its impact on independent toy makers many times over the past three years. In our opinion, the CPSIA, which Mattel and other large manufacturers spent big lobbying dollars on, was crafted to save their skin after importing millions of tainted toys while effectively pushing small competitors out of business.
They had lemons and they made lemonade. Lemonade that included exemptions in the law for companies like Mattel. Luckily, we may finally be near the end of this saga.
Last month the president signed into law HR 2715–the CPSIA reform law. HR 2715 doesn’t solve all the problems with the CPSIA but it does offer the potential to significantly reduce or even eliminate the undue regulatory burden and expense that is threatening to push many small businesses to the brink. The Handmade Toy Alliance has been the key grassroots organization representing the interests of independent manufacturers, makers, and retailers like Milagros. They deserve a lot of credit for getting us to this potential point of resolution.
There is one more (we hope its the last one) key federal hearing on this law in front of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on October 26. The CPSC would like representatives from the Handmade Toy Alliance there to, once again, outline how to best ensure toy and clothing safety without penalizing the small batch toy makers, sewers and designers who were never part of the toxic toy issue in the first place.
The HTA board members are small business people like us. Sending them to DC once again is no easy feat. It pulls them away from their businesses during the holiday season and travel isn’t free. But if you value choice in the marketplace, if you like being able to buy items that aren’t produced in black box facilities overseas, if you think toys and clothing that are handcrafted should have a place in our economy, we kindly request that you join us in supporting the Handmade Toy Alliance help them get to DC for this critical hearing.
Go here and click on “Donate to the HTA” to make a contribution today.
Thank you for your consideration and support!
Peace,
The Fuentes Family
Milagros Boutique
Photo: A few of the lovely handmade rattles available at Milagros
Posted May 26th, 2011 in public policy | Tags: CPSIA, Handmade Toy Alliance |
The Handmade Toy Alliance has worked three long years to get to this point. Namely, getting a change to the Consumer Product Safety Improvment Act (CPSIA) that will stem the tide of tainted toys, almost all of which are imported, without imposing a regulatory environment on small, ethical manufacturers and crafters that will literally drive them out of business with red tape.
Since the day we opened our doors, we have been a staunch promoter of our local craft industry. We have been working side by side with countless local crafters trying to improve the CPSIA so that it does not put these small enterprises out of business. Your action to help save these small business is needed now more than ever.
How can you help?
A CPSIA amendment is currently in mark up in the Committee of Energy and Commerce in the House of Representatives. This amendment should be presented for a vote in this committee soon but surprisingly, despite all the rhetoric about supporting Main Street, not a single Democrat has voiced support. If this does not change, thousands of small businesses stand to be sacrificed at the alter of partisan politics.
We NEED your help! We need bipartisan support for this legislation to have any hope of it progressing through both houses of Congress. If your Congressman is on this list below, please call them NOW! Ask them to support the CPSIA amendment known as the ECADA. Learn more about the amendment.
Please share this post with your friends and family, post to your facebook page, tweet it, etc. If you value hand crafted goods, we need your help on this today!
Thank you!
Want to learn more about the CPSIA? Check out this interview with Dan Marshall of the Handmade Toy Alliance on LaunchPad Radio.
Posted July 22nd, 2009 in Art and Crafts, public policy | Tags: CPSC, CPSIA, public policy |
As we have noted previously, thousands small crafters and manufacturers across the country have been waiting for guidance from the Consumer Product Safety Commission on the labeling requirements that take effect on August 14.
Well the word is here and it looks like good news for the multitude of small enterprises – especially crafters – out there.
You can read the full ruling here. Also, some specific guidance is included in the FAQ on the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website. The questions posted on the FAQs yesterday (7/21/2009) are the most relevant for crafters, designers, and small manufacturers.
Each affected companay will need to review this for themselves to determine what they may or may not need to change in terms of labeling and tracking but overall the guidance gives a lot of flexibility to the manufacturer. And it seems that the need to support small entreprenuers has sunk in at CPSC.
We look forward to continuing to support WAHMs and other by offering a multitude of unique locally-made items on the shelves of our Portland store and at our Crafty Mamas Bazaars.
Peace.
Posted July 18th, 2009 in Milagros News | Tags: CPSIA, public policy |
As discussed at the meeting at Milagros yesterday, thousands small crafters and manufacturers across the country are waiting for guidance from the Consumer Product Safety Commission on the labeling requirements that take effect on August 14.
The latest word on this comes directly from the CPSPC Chair, guidance on this issue is expected next week and Chair Tenenbaum implies that will be good news for the multitude of small enterprises across the country in her letter to the Handmade Toy Alliance.
We will have our fingers crossed for the all the crafters out there. Stay tuned.
Posted July 16th, 2009 in public policy | Tags: CPSIA, local economy |
We have connected with many local businesses who are concerned that the CPSIA will inadvertantly push responsible and ethical companies out of business. This group of small, local businesses is known as the Northwest Children’s Bussiness Alliance.
Every member of the NWCBA supports enhanced safety of products designed for children. However the testing and labeling requirements to comply with these regulations will create a huge burden on many small businesses and don’t always make logical sense. Our focus is working with congress and federal regulators to implement some common sense inmprovements to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that will not diminish safety and allow ethical crafters, small and micro-businesses stay in the marketplace.
If you own a business that may be effected by the CPSIA, are interested in assisting local businesses affected by the CPSIA or just want to learn more about this issue, please join us for the next meeting of the NWCBA at Milagros on Friday, July 17 at 9 Am.
Peace,
The Fuentes Family
Milagros Boutique
Posted July 6th, 2009 in Art and Crafts, Milagros News, public policy | Tags: CPSIA, public policy |
We have posted about the Consumer Product Safety Improvment Act (CPSIA) before. This legislation was passed last year with good intentions. The influx of tainted toys from overseas deserved a response. However the CPSIA has created a regulatory environment that is poised to strangle thousands of small, ethical manufacturers and crafters with red tape.
Since the day we opened our doors, we have been a staunch promoter of our local craft industry. Over the past few months, we have been working side by side with countless local crafters trying to improve the CPSIA so that it does not put these small enterprises out of business.
We have made some progress but there is still a long way to go. Right now, we hope that you will join us and take action to help crafters and designers based here in Portland and throughout the USA.
The CPSIA has a tracking label requirement that is scheduled to take effect on August 14. However, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued no guidance for small and micro enterprises on how they can effectively meet this requirement.
Batch labeling applies well to mass-produced plastic toys but is nearly impossible for many small manufacturers to comply with (especially ones using natural materials). Additionally, many small and micro-enterprises create unique or limited run items, creating individual labels for such small batches is cost prohibitive. These businesses are overwhelmed by the prospect of implementing this piece of the CPSIA and without proper guidance from the CPSC, it is unclear how they can comply and stay in business.
The timing of this situation could not be worse. Complying with the many aspects of the CPSIA is creating a unique stress and economic burden for small businesses while they struggle with the most dramatic economic downturn since the Great Depression.
If this requirement is not delayed so that the Consumer Product Safety Commission can take the time to create guidelines for crafters and help them comply in a cost-effective manner, many, many businesses will choose to close because the expense of labeling will be impossible to meet.
How can you help?
- Contact the Chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission today! Ask her to delay enforcement of the labeling requirement. Here is a sample letter to use!
- Contact your congressional delegation! Ask them to request a delay by the CPSC. Sample Letter to Congress.
- And, yes, please ask friends and family in every state to do the same! BTW – Congress loves faxes, truly.
Need to find your representatives and Senators? Here is contact info for the Oregon Congressional Delegation:
http://www.osba.org/leginfo/national.htm
If you live outside Oregon, use this site to find out how to contact the folks who represent you.
Go ahead and cc: President Obama on your letters, here is his contact info:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/
Thank you for your support of the local craft industry. We are still hoping for the best with all of this. No matter what happens with the CPSIA you will always find locally made items at Milagros. That’s a promise!
All the best,
The Fuentes Family
Milagros Boutique
Posted January 2nd, 2009 in Milagros News, public policy | Tags: CPSIA |
We recently posted about our concerns with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). As we get closer to the implementation of the CPSIA, there is a growing anxiety in the local, handmade craft community.
One of our local vendors, has decided to throw in the towel rather than wait and see if the CPSIA is amended. Others are waiting and hoping that much needed changes will be made but have made it clear that they will not be able to continue if the regulations are not modified.
When we opened our doors five years ago, we helped redefine the choices families had in Portland. We have prided ourselves on offering our customers practical, safe, environmentally-friendly products and have strived to provide local and USA made alternatives to imports whenever possible. During this time, we helped enhance the visibility of many locally made items and have seen some of these “cottage industries” grow from hobbies, to second incomes, to primary incomes, and to even more.
Our business standards have been emulated by a number of retailers since that time. We are more than flattered by the imitation. We are proud that an adherence to environmental and ethical values in the “baby marketplace” and a support of local vendors have been embraced. As such, it is more than a little distressing that the opportunities for work at home mothers and others to create their own ethical economic path is being threatened.
When you look at the issues that emerged last year, there were two common threads. First, every recalled toy was made in China. Second of all, the facilities that actually made the toys in question were independent overseas contractors. The toy companies – often US-based – that contracted these factories had limited objective oversight on safety and factory conditions. However these companies were active when it came to ensuring that production services were provided at as low a cost as possible.
Lack of oversight by the manufacturers and the local, regional, and national governments where the facilities were sited plus a lowest cost expectation created a perverse incentive for contractors to try and “cheat the system”. These are the factors that not only led to lead tainted toys but to other tragedies such as the toxic pet food and, more recently, dairy products.
The bottomline is that the violation of the public trust was not made by domestic manufacturers as well as companies in Canada and the EU that source all their materials, have full control of every step of the manufacturing process and are fully responsible for it. The CPSIA is a response to legitimate safety concerns but the fact that many small, responsible companies will end up paying the price for the “mistakes” made by Chinese manufacturers is more than ironic, it is a downright tragedy.
There is a path out of this regulatory mess. The handmade toy alliance and others have put forward solutions that will enhance safety in the marketplace without eliminating craft-industries and small and mid-sized enterprises from store shelves.
How can you help? We thought you would never ask 
Here are some ideas on what you can do to help in order of relevance in our opinion:
Thank you for your support!
The Fuentes Family
Milagros Boutique
We have blogged about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and its impact on independent toy makers many times over the past three years. In our opinion, the CPSIA, which Mattel and other large manufacturers spent big lobbying dollars on, was crafted to save their skin after importing millions of tainted toys while effectively pushing small competitors out of business.
