The European Commission today proposed to phase out hormone-disrupting chemicals from toys. If this becomes law, it would be the first time ever – worldwide – that both known and suspected hormone-disrupting chemicals are banned from an entire product group.

Exposure to these chemicals – also known as endocrine disruptors – is linked to severe health problems, such as infertility, early puberty or obesity. In May, a consumer group test found that 11 out of 20 tested teething toys released known or suspected hormone-disrupting chemicals [1].

Today’s proposal is part of a reform of EU toy safety legislation. The existing ‘Toy Safety Directive’ already bans chemicals that may cause cancer, damage DNA, or harm reproductive health. However, hormone-disrupting chemicals have so far managed to escape the ban.

Monique Goyens, Director General of The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), said:

“The proposal to ban hormone-disrupting chemicals from toys is a milestone to protect the health of children. Consumers are exposed to hormone-disrupting chemicals from dawn to dusk, with a recent test in Denmark finding that even teething toys contain these harmful substances.

“The European Commission is showing great commitment to remove toxic chemicals from our daily lives. Consumer organisations urge the European Parliament and EU Member states to approve this phase-out of dangerous chemicals in toys.”

Stephen Russell, Director General of The European Consumer Voice in Standardisation (ANEC), added:

“The exposure of consumers to unwanted chemicals must stop. For years, we and BEUC have criticised the all-too-weak provisions of toy safety legislation when it comes to chemicals. It is very welcome to see the European Commission now proposes to phase out hormone-disrupting chemicals from an entire product group.

“The move, banning a category of chemicals rather than individual substances, is also in line with the Commission’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, to which ANEC contributes.”

Next steps

The proposal will now be reviewed by the European Parliament and EU Member States.

We also support a proposed Digital Product Passport for toys: this would help authorities better trace products in the supply chain and enforce legislation. This is important as toys are the most notified product category in the EU’s rapid alert system for dangerous products - Safety Gate.

We recommend beefing up the following elements of the reform of toy safety law:

• Act on online sales: as research by Denmark’s Forbrugerrådet Tænk shows, toys containing harmful chemicals are sold via online marketplaces. Toy safety law should spell out that marketplaces can be held liable for the safety of goods they sell or facilitate selling.

• Adequately cover other types of risks: policymakers should ensure that there is no loophole in EU legislation when it comes to tackling the risks deriving from connected products.    

[1] This project was run by Austria (Verein für Konsumenteninformation), Belgium (Testaankoop/Testachats), Czechia (dTest), Denmark (Forbrugerrådet Tænk), France (UFC-Que Choisir), Italy (Altroconsumo), and Slovenia (Zveza Potrošnikov Slovenije – ZPS). The test was coordinated by International Consumer Research & Testing.