Toy Association staff recently attended meetings of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee 181 on Toy Safety (TC 181), along with consumer product safety professionals from around the world, to advocate for global toy safety standards alignment and discuss areas for improvement.   Held in São Paulo, Brazil, the annual meetings of the technical committee and its various working groups discussed the ISO 8124 series of toy standards, which are intended to be usable as a common basis for regulations around the world.   Toy Association staff and experts from its member companies, as well as ASTM International, represented the U.S. delegation in the discussions, advocating for changes to the international toy standards to further promote child safety and to better align them with the stringent requirements of ASTM F963, the U.S. toy safety standard that is widely emulated by other countries. In all, 20 ISO member countries were represented in the meetings.1 Delegates included representatives of governments, private sector companies, testing laboratories, consumer representatives, standards development organizations, and others.   Collaborating with global toy safety experts and fostering stronger partnerships remains a key component of The Toy Association’s safety and advocacy efforts. Questions about the ongoing ISO activity may be directed to The Toy Association’s Joan Lawrence and Jos Huxley, who were present at the meetings. Lawrence serves as chair of the ASTM Subcommittee on Toy Safety, and Huxley serves as convenor on the ISO working groups on mechanical and physical properties of toys and age determination guidelines.   1Under the ISO standards process, countries and their national standards body (rather than individuals or companies) are the members of ISO. American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is the U.S. member of ISO and The Toy Association coordinates the activity on behalf of ANSI as administer of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to ISO TC 181 on Toy Safety, bringing together U.S. subject matter experts to formulate U.S. positions on matters before TC 181.

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(Photo caption: Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric (left) and Toy Association President & CEO Greg Ahearn (right) met on October 3 in Washington, DC to discuss increased collaboration, use of data, science and risk assessment, and partnership throughout the rulemaking process.)     In-person meetings in Washington, DC have always been a key component of The Toy Association’s advocacy work on behalf of our members and the greater toy industry. Recently, our Global Government & Regulatory Affairs team organized one-on-one meetings in DC to talk with Alexander Hoehn-Saric, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) chair, key staff from the House Speaker’s office, and other influential organizations to address pressing issues that are impacting your business.   The Toy Association, the toy community, and the CPSC share a commitment—there is nothing more important than the safety of children. In The Toy Association’s discussion with Hoehn-Saric, we emphasized the importance of returning to a deeper partnership with the commission, particularly throughout the CPSC’s rulemaking decisions, using recent events and rulings as examples of opportunities for stronger collaboration.   Specifically, we discussed the importance of relying on data, science, and thorough risk assessments throughout all CPSC decision-making processes. It was a productive conversation that allowed us to underscore the toy industry’s unwavering commitment to safety and to also address ongoing issues surrounding counterfeit, illegal, and unsafe products.   In addition to toy safety standards and counterfeit products, tariffs and trade relations were another key focus of our meetings; we met with William Ball, senior policy advisor for the U.S. House of Representatives Office of Speaker Mike Johnson, to talk about the potential harmful impact of tariffs on the toy industry, as well emphasized the importance of passing legislation to hold online marketplaces accountable for counterfeit goods sold on their platforms (via the SHOP SAFE Act).   Additional discussions with the U.S.-China Business Council and members of the National Association for Manufacturers focused on continued collaboration between our organizations on future policy strategies.   In a few crucial meetings we covered a lot of ground and continued to make positive progress in our relationships with policymakers, but the work does not end there. The Toy Association’s advocacy efforts are year-round and cover the world, reaching 50 states and numerous foreign countries on behalf of our members. Our goal is to overcome challenges and open doors to help you grow your business and create value, while always ensuring the strength and protection provided through toy safety standards and regulations are seen as the example for other industries.   I encourage you to reach out if you’d like to get involved in The Toy Association’s advocacy work by joining one of our committees. Please contact Ed Desmond, executive vice president of global government and regulatory affairs, to learn more.