What does compliance mean in the United States?
Compliance is a legal requirement when selling children’s items in the US. The CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) & CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) have specific regulations for children’s products to ensure they’re safe. Items intended for children must be tested for various elements to ensure they’re safe. The elements tested include lead, flammability, phthalates, and BPA. Lead and flammability are the two most important when it comes to clothing. Most fabrics in the USA are already tested for lead but are generally not tested for flammability because the requirements are based on the finished product, not the fabric itself.
Anything non-fabric that is added to the garment must be tested for lead. This includes but is not limited to buttons, snaps, grommets, and sequins.
Additionally, you must be able to track each item and its individual components so in the event of a recall you can contact everyone involved.
So what does this mean for purchasing clothing for children?
Because we care about your children, we have taken the time to ensure every component of our clothing is safe. The standards of the CPSC/CPSIA were designed to reduce the risks of toxic chemical exposure, strangulation/choking, and flammability hazards. This allows you to have one less thing to worry about when it comes to your child.
How do I know who is compliant and who is not?
Ask! It takes a lot of time and work to become compliant. So when a shop invests that time they tend to share the info as much as possible! You can look for statements like “Products are made with CPSIA compliant materials” or “All items meet CPSC requirements.” These statements will let you know that we are registered as a small batch manufacturer and have received a statement from our suppliers that the textiles have been tested, or we have had our materials tested ourselves.
Labeling is another way to figure out if a shop is compliant. Under the CPSIA and the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), products are required to have certain information permanently attached to the finished product(usually the center back) before it is sent out to you, the consumer.
Each label should enable you to find the following information:
Who the manufacturer is (usually this is a business logo)
How to contact the manufacturer (usually a website or RN)
Where the manufacturer creates the product (Country or RN)
When the product was finished(usually included in their batch number)
How to care for the product
A unique mark or number so you are able to follow recall instructions should the occasion arise.
An ‘RN’ is a registered number. You are able to call the FTC or search the database on the FTC website to find the manufacturer’s information.
To learn more here are some links:
CPSC
CPSIA
FTC
FDA
Thank you for taking the time to read this. It is in the hopes of small business makers that we can encourage you to purchase items that are compliant so we can continue to keep your family as safe as possible.