Thursday, February 12, 2009

CSPIA update

I haven't been making much of anything lately to be honest. Our schedule at home has been pretty busy and I don't feel like I've had much down time to enjoy being in the studio or sitting down to knit. In light of that, I figured that I'd give a quick update about the CSPIA legislation.

It went into effect on February 10th, but with an extension for a year before manufacturers need to officially start testing products. However, we're still liable. So if one of my products was found to contain lead or other toxic materials, I would liable for a $100,000 fine.

In light of that, just to be safe I'm pulling anything from my Etsy shop that has plastic buttons. I believe that they have exempted fabric, but buttons and zippers and closures could still be problematic for me. I will not be listing my wooden blocks with the vintage children's illustrations as books printed before 1985 are considered potentially unsafe. For the moment, I will not be making many new items for sale until I figure out if all the materials that I use will be considered safe and exempt (that includes stuffing, buttons, adhesives, etc.)

If you're interested in reading more, please consider reading the following:
Etsy update
Crafty Hangover
Publishers Weekly article
Forbes article

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