CPS What??? Confused About CPSA, CPSC, and CPSIA?
December 21, 2011 at 11:30 am 2 comments
Having a hard time understanding the differences between the CPSA, CPSC and CPSIA? Don’t feel alone, as most of us have a hard time keeping them straight. So let’s see if we can shed some light on the matter:
- The Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) was put into law in 1972, to help protect and safeguard consumers from dangerous products.
- The CPSA established the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), defined its basic authority, and provided that the CPSC should act when it finds an unreasonable risk of injury associated with a consumer product.
- The CPSC, in turn, has enacted several Consumer Product Safety Improvement Acts (CPSIA’s) to reduce or eliminate said risks.
So where does that leave us? Well, the latest CPSIA of 2008 is now in effect. Its focus is on lead and phthalates in children’s toys and child care items. The CPSC has established guidelines for its implementation that have created some confusion and concern.
Here is the bottom line: As of January 1, 2012, all screen printers and/or manufacturers who add “extra value” to a textile that could be considered a children’s product and/or a child care article will be responsible for certifying that their products comply with the CPSIA of 2008. Children’s products are intended for use by children 12 and under. Child care articles are intended for specific uses for children 3 and under. (Click here for more on the certification rule).
Click on the above hyperlinks for more detail.
Mark Brouillard, Product Manager for International Coatings
International Coatings manufactures a complete line of phthalate-compliant screen printing inks, including a wide variety of whites, specialty inks, special effects inks, color matching systems, additives and reducers. For more information on our products, please visit our website at www.iccink.com.
International Coatings: The Intelligent Choice
Entry filed under: General. Tags: certifications for children's apparel, children's products, children's toys accreditation, children’s clothing textiles, childrens apparel testing and regulation, Consumer Product Safety Act, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Consumer Product Safety Improvement Acts, CPSA, CPSA and CPSC, CPSC, cpsc ruling, CPSIA, CPSIA of 2008, CPSIA of 2008 ruling, cpsia ruling, differences between the CPSA and CPSC, iccink, iccink.com, ink regulations regarding children's products, international coatings, mark brouillard, non phthalate inks, phthalate compliant, phthalate free, phthalate testing on children's clothing, printing regulations for children's products, restrictions on children's products, screen printing, screen printing inks, testing and certification of child care articles, testing and certification of children’s articles, testing and certification of children’s toys and child care articles for phthalates, textile screen printing, textile screen printing inks, what is CPSIA.
1.
Paula | January 2, 2012 at 6:41 am
So what exactly does this new ruling require a screen printer to do? Do we need to find a service to test the garments we are screen printing, or do we just need to provide written certification of what was used in the production of the garment? If I am providing shirts for a soccer team, what am I required to do to make sure I am compliant with this rule?
2.
International Coatings | January 5, 2012 at 10:45 am
Hi Paula,
In regards to your inquiry (regarding textile inks):
So what exactly does this new ruling require a screen printer to do? Depends on what and who you are printing for. If the garments are not intended for use with children 12 and under, then there isn’t anything new for the printer to do.
Do we need to find a service to test the garments we are screen printing? Yes and no. If you are printing for children 12 and under then yes, unless you qualify and register as a Small Batch Children’s Product Manufacturer (SBCPM), (http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12073.html). Also, if you are printing for youth aged 13 and over, then technically no.
do we just need to provide written certification of what was used in the production of the garment? Yes, you will need to provide written certification if the product is for children 12 and under, even if you qualify for SBCPM.
If I am providing shirts for a soccer team, what am I required to do to make sure I am compliant with this rule? Depends on the age of the soccer team players. If it’s for 12 and under then a certificate would technically be required. If 13 and over, then there wouldn’t be anything new required for the printer.
PLEASE NOTE: This response is based on International Coatings’ understanding of the CPSIA of 2008 and is not to be used as or considered legal advice. We recommend that you refer to http://www.cpsc.gov to determine the compliance requirements for your specific needs.