[Mise à jour du 21 février 2024 à 18h50] The European Toy Industries Federation has just published a study revealing that 95% of toys purchased on the TEMU online platform do not meet European safety standards. They are considered dangerous for children.
The investigation into the Chinese e-commerce giant Temu by the Toy Industries of Europe (TIE), the European Federation of Toy Industries, is, so to speak, “alarming”. At the end of its study, made public on Tuesday February 20, 2024, the institution reveals that of the 19 toys purchased and tested, none complied with European Union safety standards. Worse: 18 presented serious risks, enough to prompt the revision of the Toy Directive, to fill the current legal gaps.
Temu Statement :
“ Upon receipt of the test results, we immediately launched an internal investigation. While 12 of the affected products had already been removed during our routine checks, we quickly removed the remaining products on February 8, 2024. The remaining 19 products are no longer available on our site. Product safety is a major concern for us and we have increased monitoring of this product category and the requirements associated with it. We have also provided additional guidance to third-party sellers on relevant compliance requirements. »
Temu toys checked and all pinned for multiple risks for children
All 19 toys tested in the survey expose children to the risk of cuts, punctures, choking, strangulation and chemical hazards. The total, in short. And what further irritates the legal toy ecosystem is that current legislation allows third-party sellers to market dangerous toys, without being held accountable.
The TIE and the French Federation of Toy and Childcare Industries (FJP) are calling for strict measures against sellers outside the European Union who do not comply with EU rules. The worrying results of the study echo a previous survey dating back to 2020, after which the European federation had already sounded the alarm.
Today, French and Europeans are calling on legislators for immediate action against unscrupulous operators. And this is good because, coincidentally, the Toy Directive is currently being revised. Here it offers a real opportunity to strengthen the safety of children’s toys sold online.
The European and French federations want platforms to ban irresponsible sellers
It is mainly sellers based outside the European Union who are identified as the main culprits for the proliferation of dangerous toys. While the recent Digital Services Act, which came into force on February 17, strengthens the obligations of sellers in the EU, it does not resolve the shortcomings affecting external sellers.
The investigation also points to worrying deficiencies in the control of products intended for European consumers, sold on online marketplaces such as Temu. The Chinese e-retailer has, of course, removed the toys from the platform. But for the French Federation, this remains largely insufficient.
The TIE relies on the fact that 18 of the 19 pinned toys lack an address in the European Union, which contravenes the EU Market Surveillance Regulation, to put pressure on the authorities. The objective of the European and French federations is now to revise the regulations to force platforms to eliminate irresponsible sellers. Because the safety of toys, and especially children, remains a crucial priority.
Source : FJPvia LinkedIn.
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