In October 2021, the European Commission made the first step towards revising the European Toy Safety Directive by inviting stakeholders to comment on its plans to better protect the health of children against the presence of harmful substances in toys. This includes endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs).
This invitation to comment on the roadmap for the EU revision on the Toy Safety Directive closed in November 2021. Six EDC-Free Europe coalition partners submitted contributions:
A wider public consultation is expected to start in early 2022.
EDC-Free Europe partners have repeatedly demonstrated the presence and contamination of endocrine disruptors and other harmful chemicals in toys. In 2013, Women Engage for Future (WECF) France initiated the petition "Stop endocrine disruptors in toys", which gained the support of over 30.000 citizens.
The Danish Consumer Council, another EDC-Free Europe campaign member, has over the years performed several tests on toys popular with children, in which they were able to identify several harmful chemicals:
- In 2019, a study showed that 9 out of 29 toys bought online from Wish, eBay and Amazon contained endocrine disrupting phthalates.
- In 2018, a test on plastic balls for children revealed banned endocrine disrupting substances. Many of them are considered a health risk.
- In 2018, a test on slime toys resulted in 4 products being notified to the authorities for the release of an unwanted chemical, responsible for causing endocrine disrupting effects.
EDC-Free Europe partner Arnika also conducted a long research focused on phthalates in children's environment from 2007 to 2016, with a special emphasis on products that children have direct contact with.
