I have been working on self certifying my sock monkeys for the CE EN71 mark which is a legal requirement for any toy. A toy in legal terms is anything that looks like a toy! (so saying only for over 14's etc is not a legal get out of jail free card)
I got a self certification pack from Conformance (£30 incl VAT) it's incredibly helpful and shows you what test need carrying out, how they need to be carried out, what paperwork to collect, forms etc.
Now all components need to be EN671 compliant and whilst I can get stuffing, felt etc, I have been unable to find socks that conform and that is because as clothing, socks do not need to conform to toy standards.
Dispute the fact that I use children's socks from reputable shops, those socks may still contain dye that is not compliant, so by making a child's sock into a child's toy, I would be breaking the law.
I could get the socks tested myself for about £180, but when socks come in packs of 5 different designs that would each need testing individually and then when the shop decides to change designs, I start from the beginning again.
I am therefore taking the decision not to make sock toys.
3 comments:
There are dozens of crafters making sock toys, I wonder if they are aware of all this. x
i know some of them are as they write things like stuffing compliant to EN71 and I think many eople put their head in the sand, but I need to be legal and would have sleepless nights at the thought of being on the wrong side of the law.
Now if only a sock manufacturer would make en71 compliant socks, they'd end up with lots of business.
You can now slef certify sock animals..join the Facebook sock creature CE support group. We habe clubbed together to test all high street socks to make it possibe. http://www.facebook.com/groups/283754158385303/
Treacher Creatures
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