Article Contributed on: 1/7/2009 10:13:27 AM
As a local manufacturer specializing in baby-children products, I am writing to express my concerns regarding the enforcement of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), effective Feb. 10th, 2009. I support this new law and feel that children's safety should be of up-most importance in our world today. However, this particular legislation will be devastating to large and small manufactures, retailers and consumers alike.
My Company, Little Journeys Baby World (Little Journeys World, LLC), is mom-owned and operated manufacture of personalized baby and toddler items (apparel, accessories,etc.) . All items are made-to-order and manufactured in Mead, Colorado. I take pride in offering everyone top quality and unique products. I have read the CPSIA and under its new regulations, manufacturers of all sizes (including handcrafters and small entrepreneurial producers) will be required to submit a sample of each SKU to cost-prohibitive third-party testing labs. Each test will cost anywhere from $ 50-$100, per component, per SKU. The test alone would effectively eliminate the ability of small manufacturers to do business legally in the U.S.
Feb 10, 2009 is being dubbed"National Bankruptcy Day" by many experts within the juvenile, toy and handmade industries. I suspect that if this legislation is allowed, without mindful considerations and proper exemptions, it will negatively affect everyone from individual handcrafters and big-box manufacturers, to parents looking for safe and affordable products to their children. Due to the law's retroacitivity, millions of pieces of merchandise on store shelves and in warehouse will become illegal to sell until the appropriate testing is applied. This will greatly impact retailers including consignment/thrift stores and charites that will no longer be able to accept donations.
I believe that careful interpretation of the law by the CPSC (along with assistance from a subset of manufacturers that accurately represent the industries at hand) can both keep our children safe and simultaneously allow our industries and the economy as a whole to prevail.
Please allow my company and others the opportunity to comply and survive.
Little Journeys World, LLC
www.littlejourneysbabyworld.com