Click Here to Download the May/June 2008 Issue of the Market Access Newsletter.

Better Safe Than Sorry

May/June 2008

Consumers have become distrustful – with good reason! Numerous faulty products have been recalled in recent months, proving that trust isn’t always a good idea.

It wasn’t a good summer for the toy industry. Due to significant safety risks, the US giant Mattel was forced to withdraw more than 21 million products that had been manufactured in China from the international market. Mattel will pay dearly for the biggest recall in company history. It anticipates a loss of around 30 million US dollars, to say nothing of the damage to its reputation. And the past few months have shown that Mattel was only the tip of the iceberg. Many companies have admitted to similar faults, with poisonous, lead-filled paints at the top of the danger list.

Public Alarm
These disclosures made headlines around the world, causing widespread uncertainty among parents. As a leading testing organization that conducts thousands of toy inspections per year, TÜVRheinland® played a significant role in helping to clarify the situation. “Thanks to many decades of experience and our strong presence in China, the media turned to us for expert advice on product quality,” says Ralf Diekmann, spokesman for the Products Business Stream at TÜVRheinland®. Sources ranging from the German ARD and RTL networks to the “Bild” and “Handelsblatt” newspapers consulted the TÜVRheinland® experts about their practical experience. The extensive media coverage also compelled the government to take action. The Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Michael Glos, convened a round table discussion on the topic and Ralf Wilde, Director of the Products Business Stream at TÜVRheinland®, was among the participants. “It is vital for the German economy that good quality and safety can be easily identified,” says the minister, who particularly emphasized the importance of the “GS” Mark for certified safety after the meeting.

High Failure Rate
TÜVRheinland® regularly performs the inspections required for the GS Mark. Around half of all toys, sporting goods and household appliances fail the first round of tests for a reason that is as simple as it is disturbing: the rejected products violate important safety standards. However, TÜVRheinland® doesn’t just leave manufacturers to deal with negative test reports on their own. Instead, it advises them on how to make their wares safer.

Joint Undertaking
When they are affected by product recalls, brands like Mattel and Toys“R”Us have to react fast. Mattel immediately fired several suppliers and announced that it would keep its manufacturers under even closer scrutiny in future. In the heated discussion that followed, the public developed the impression that Chinese producers were primarily responsible for the dangerous toys. However, this accusation is too superficial. Mattel CEO Robert A. Eckert made it clear that the product recalls were mainly due to faulty design rather than manufacturer error – a brave admission that the corporation followed up with an apology to the Chinese people. Beijing has also started a crackdown of its own and the Chinese quality supervision authority has revoked the toy manufacturing licenses of around 300 companies. But the pursuit of quality cannot just be left up to the factory owners in Asia, especially since they are often put under enormous pricing pressure by Europeans and Americans. Brand manufacturers and retailers bear the final responsibility for the wares they sell, making independent testing essential.

From Electronics to Chemistry
Thanks to its international accreditation as a “notified body”, TÜVRheinland® is authorized to perform globally recognized inspections and award the relevant certificates. The company’s areas of expertise include electromagnetic compatibility testing (EMC) for appliances such as cell phones, which shouldn’t make the radio crackle when they ring. TÜVRheinland® runs a vast network of EMC laboratories worldwide, where products ranging from cell phones to medical appliances are screened for their potential to interfere with other devices. But these practical machines don’t just harbor possible dangers in their electronic workings: they can also contain chemicals that are harmful to consumers and the environment. TÜVRheinland® performs chemical analyses at its laboratories in Germany, China, Taiwan and Vietnam. The company also benefits from the specialized knowledge of its Nuremberg subsidiary, TÜVRheinland® LGA, which has many years’ experience testing children’s toys. “We look for substances such as harmful plasticizers in baby pacifiers or rubber ducks that can be released by skin contact or saliva,” explains Dr. Michael von Pidoll, who is responsible for product and environmental analysis at TÜVRheinland®.

Headache Prevention
Consumers who react to chemical vapors with headaches and nausea should choose not only textiles but also furniture that has undergone toxicity testing. A thorough chemical analysis for poisonous substances takes 14 days. First, the product is cut into pieces and taken apart. “The average shoe is made of up to 25 different materials,” explains von Pidoll. “Our experts take samples of these for testing.” The pieces are ignited, moistened, pulverized and dissolved to see which chemical components they release. More than 100,000 samples per year are examined by the Cologne testers alone. Von Pidoll’s team recently moved into a state-of-the-art laboratory and can now perform the comprehensive tests using three high-tech chromatographs, which are each worth the price of a family home – even though they aren’t much bigger than a microwave oven.

Legal Consequences
The recent product recalls have greatly increased the demand for TÜVRheinland®’s inspection services. Product testing is an affordable investment that is certainly cheaper than a subsequent recall. With its Life-Cycle Management program, TÜVRheinland® offers the greatest possible peace of mind for companies and consumers.

For more information, please call 1-TUV-RHEINLAND (1-888-743-4652).