On February 10, 2009,The Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) will go into effect, putting thousands of small home-based crafters and artisans out of business. Originally meant to deal with lead and other toxic elements in children’s products, it paints with a broad brush.
The CPSIA, passed on August 14th, 2008, requires laboratory testing of every single product that is worn or used by children under the age of 12. It sounds pretty good until you learn that it includes those booties made by Auntie Evelyn that are sold at your local church bizarre. Until very recently it also included goods sold at second hand stores. And full documentation with lot production information and more needs to be included with every shipment or delivery along with labeling of each item.
The wide reaching impact of this legislation is just beginning to get attention, pushed forward by a wave on online advocacy by independent business people nationwide who depend on their mini-businesses to help them make ends meet, or to allow them to be at home with kids. These are people who make diaper covers, bibs, toys, you name it. These items are hand made with love and creativity and a true grass roots push back at the Walmartization of American life. Sites like Etsy have grown into vibrant communities for the hand-made products movement.
So, what this means is that if I knit a baby hat out of previously tested certified organic yarn in a size small, that hat will still need to be tested. So will the size medium in a separate test, and also the size large. All made with the same yarn that was previously tested. All I did was take the yarn and manipulate it between two sticks to make the hat. But a sample of each style of hat in each size will have to be tested at about $300 per test or I could face severe penalties.
In an articled dated January 14, The Wall Street Journal confirms the fate of those items on store shelves as of 2/10/09 that don’t meet the stringent labeling and testing requirements:
“Under a new law set to go into effect February 10, unsold toys, along with bikes, books and even children's clothing are destined for the scrap heap due to an overzealous law to increase toy safety.”
Fortunately, on January 8, 2009, in response to public outcry, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued an exception for thrift stores and resellers. However, they are still open to criminal penalties if they don’t research their products and end up selling something on the no–no list.
Don’t get me wrong, please. I’ve been an advocate for children and schools for years. I graduated in 2005 at a rather mature age with a BA in Child and Adolescent Development. I don’t want to poison babies. But this is insane. There are people who market one-of-a-kind organic baby blankets who will be going out of business because each blanket will have to undergo a $300 or so chemical test to make verify that it's lead free. This is just crazy.