Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act
And here's my bit of political activism for the day. I'm a bit freaked about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. Nice idea, but there's a great big giant gaping hole which needs plugging up - and so far, all of Congress has turned a blind ear.
Bluntly put, as of February 10th, the law requires toy manufacturers to test for lead and pthalates (this is a result of the problems with Chinese toys last year). Fair enough. The testing costs $400-$4000 per item. So if I were making one set of unique, hand-carved wooden blocks, stained or painted with pre-tested, nontoxic paint and decided to sell them on Etsy, I would have to spend $400 to get my blocks tested before I listed them. Then, if I want to make a child's shirt, using natural fabrics (undyed, even), I would have to shell out another $400 to get the shirt tested.
See where I'm going with this?
PLEASE contact your Congresscritters today, to get them to amend (or at least halt for discussion) the implementation of CPSIA. You can find out who your Congresspeople are here
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Dear Congressman Stark:
I'm writing today to urge you to try and HALT or AMEND the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), signed into law on August 14, 2008 and due to go into effect on February 10, 2009.
CPSIA is a well-intentioned law, but it will end up destroying many small American businesses who create unique, handmade, environmentally-sound children's toys, using natural, lead- and pthalate-free materials in their construction. These businesses cannot afford the testing required by CPSIA, nor should they have to! They're using materials which have already been tested at the production-level, or materials which do not contain those toxins naturally (such as hardwood).
The end result of this law, as it is currently written, will be:
- tens of thousands of small business closing doors
- a reduction in the availability of safe, American-made toys
- price increases for all toys, regardless of origin of manufacture
- increased unemployment in those manufacturing sectors
- increased purchasing of toys by consumers from countries, such as China, which are lower cost (but also lower in quality and safety)
- millions of tons of safe toys dumped into our landfills
In today's economic environment, we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to our small American manufacturers. A simple amendment to CPSIA, such as allowing businesses who make under 500 units per year, will permit these small businesses to continue working and buffering our country from further economic disaster.
I urge you to please lead in this matter and halt or amend this poorly-written law, before thousands are put out of work.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Perian Sully
Alameda, CA
****
Please, those of you who cherish small businesses and handmade items, please contact your Congresscritters.
Bluntly put, as of February 10th, the law requires toy manufacturers to test for lead and pthalates (this is a result of the problems with Chinese toys last year). Fair enough. The testing costs $400-$4000 per item. So if I were making one set of unique, hand-carved wooden blocks, stained or painted with pre-tested, nontoxic paint and decided to sell them on Etsy, I would have to spend $400 to get my blocks tested before I listed them. Then, if I want to make a child's shirt, using natural fabrics (undyed, even), I would have to shell out another $400 to get the shirt tested.
See where I'm going with this?
PLEASE contact your Congresscritters today, to get them to amend (or at least halt for discussion) the implementation of CPSIA. You can find out who your Congresspeople are here
****
Dear Congressman Stark:
I'm writing today to urge you to try and HALT or AMEND the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), signed into law on August 14, 2008 and due to go into effect on February 10, 2009.
CPSIA is a well-intentioned law, but it will end up destroying many small American businesses who create unique, handmade, environmentally-sound children's toys, using natural, lead- and pthalate-free materials in their construction. These businesses cannot afford the testing required by CPSIA, nor should they have to! They're using materials which have already been tested at the production-level, or materials which do not contain those toxins naturally (such as hardwood).
The end result of this law, as it is currently written, will be:
- tens of thousands of small business closing doors
- a reduction in the availability of safe, American-made toys
- price increases for all toys, regardless of origin of manufacture
- increased unemployment in those manufacturing sectors
- increased purchasing of toys by consumers from countries, such as China, which are lower cost (but also lower in quality and safety)
- millions of tons of safe toys dumped into our landfills
In today's economic environment, we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to our small American manufacturers. A simple amendment to CPSIA, such as allowing businesses who make under 500 units per year, will permit these small businesses to continue working and buffering our country from further economic disaster.
I urge you to please lead in this matter and halt or amend this poorly-written law, before thousands are put out of work.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Perian Sully
Alameda, CA
****
Please, those of you who cherish small businesses and handmade items, please contact your Congresscritters.