"From Europe, with love"…and with care!
For my debut article, I am going to write about love…and care. The love and care for toys and, most importantly, for their little owners "à l'européenne". Parfaitement! In Europe a toy has indeed to pass a series of "exams" to prove it cares for its future owner before being installed on the shelf of the local shopkeeper. It all started when, in 1985, the European commission decided that while providing free movement of goods in the European Union (EU), it was necessary to create essential requirements for certain types of products to insure the health, safety and environmental protection of the consumers.
As a result of this, European consumers consider it as a "symbol of safety" as well as quality (around 70% of the products have to be "CE marked" today) while it is viewed as a "passport to Europe" from both European and Non-European businesses. The safety standards for toys cover principally mechanical and physical hazards, flammability, chemical and electrical properties, hygiene, graphical symbol for age warning, etc. As for the tests in themselves…hum…please if there is a tot near you, it is time for him/her to leave the room as it is going to become "graphic"…ready?…: sweet teddy bears' eyes will be pulled out, video games' stations will be left on in a closed way too tight area for indefinite period of time, pretty dolls' arms will be stretched, remote control cars will be crashed over and over again, etc.
So next time you see a CE logo on the box of a toy, you will know that this toy is special because it cares for your tot.
With love and care,
