Manufacturers exporting to Europe should determine whether their products must be certified by the CE toy certification, indicating that they meet the EU’s health, safety, and regulatory requirements.
Why Do Customs Require CE Toy Certification When Importing Toys?
Many products exported to Europe need the CE logo “Confirmit é Europ é enne”. The good news for exporters is that CE toy certification covers the entire European Economic Area (EEA), including 28 EU countries, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
“The CE logo is often described as a trade passport because it enables products to move freely in the European market,” said Han Zuyderwijk, a Dutch-based CE toy certification expert and president of The Alura Group.
For US exporters, products that meet US testing and certification requirements still need to be certified separately to meet EU standards. It is also important to remember that the CE logo is an indicator of product compliance with EU regulations, but not proof. If your product falls within the scope of instructions that require the CE toy certification, you must ensure that the product meets the applicable requirements and affix the CE logo before putting it on the EEA market.
What is The Safety Standard For Toys?
Toy manufacturers and retailers are increasingly importing toy products and parts from around the world. To ensure the safety of children’s play, the EU has launched the EU Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC, which aims to establish minimum safety standards related to toy functions, flammability, substances, documents, etc.
The EU toy safety directive requires manufacturers to certify that their products bear the CE mark, indicating that toys meet these standards. The sale of CE toy logos is mandatory in the European Union, and manufacturers must test and document them to prove that they meet the requirements.
Which Countries Need The CE Logo?
The countries that need the CE logo are the 31 countries in the European Economic Area. This includes:
All 28 EU Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom.
Three members of the European Free Trade Association: Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
EN71 Product Safety Standards
EN71 is a set of European product safety standards that apply to all toys sold in the European Union. EN 71 is also part of the CE Directive and is in place to ensure that all toys sold in the European Union meet certain minimum safety standards in terms of the following factors. The most important parts are EN71 parts 1, parts 2, and 3, so most vendors’ En71 reports test only parts 1, parts 2, and 3.
- EN71-1: Safety
Part 1: mechanical and physical properties.
EN71-1 deals with the mechanical and physical elements of toys. In short, it is checking whether any mechanical or physical features of the toy can harm children while playing or using it.
This includes, among other things, determining whether there are sharp tips on the toy, or whether there are parts on the toy that are easy to swallow.
- EN 71-2: Flammability
It is a legal requirement to ensure that toys and costumes pass the EN71 part 2 flammability test. This is mentioned in the toy instruction 2009/48/EC.
The EN71-2 regulation focuses on many different factors that may cause injuries to children due to flammability. This includes determining whether there is any prohibited flammable material in children’s toys when the item burns and how fast the flame spreads over it. Different types of articles have different passing rates.
- EN71-3: Migration
AnchorCert Analytical conducts tests to determine compliance with the accepted standard BS EN 71-3: 2013 as stipulated in the Toy Safety Directive. It limits the release of lead (as opposed to lead) and identifies 18 other toxic elements that may be more harmful than lead.
The reason for analyzing all these potentially toxic elements is to allow other elements to replace lead, such as cadmium, which is more toxic but cheaper than lead. Many such cases have been reported in the United States, where lead content is limited.
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