Local exporters to the American market should heed some new safety regulations on children’s products provided in the U.S. consumer protection law, U.S. experts have warned.

Speaking at an international conference in HCMC on Wednesday, they said the rules would take effect next year.

The consumer protection law was passed in 2008 after a string of recalls of unsafe Chinese products for children. While some regulations in this law took immediate effect, others will come into force in 2011.

Due to public concerns caused by the recalls, the law focuses on children’s products, especially sleepwear and apparels with drawstrings, thus impacting on all firms exporting to or producing in the U.S.

Nancy A. Nord, commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), said at the International Product Safety & Restricted Substances Conference that the law is a challenge to producers but an effort to guarantee safety for U.S. consumers.

A high rise of apparel and footwear recalls in America has been seen in recent years, notably recalls of children’s apparel with drawstrings, Nord said.

The law requires certification and testing for all the products imported by the U.S and CPSC-accredited third party testing for children’s products. The latter is due to take effect early next year. By February all children’s sleepwear must be tested by independent labs approved by the agency.

No labs in Vietnam have been accredited by CPSC on standards for the flammability of children’s sleepwear, said Nord. Currently, several labs in Vietnam are approved by the agency for some other standards.

They have almost three months left to apply for accreditation. She added state labs of Vietnam would be required to prove their independence from the Government to avoid potential intervention if applying for the recognition.

New regulations also require tracking labels and new limits, at a nearly zero level, for lead and phthalates.

Stricter penalties will be imposed on the violations. The violating products imported into America must be destroyed instead of re-exporting, and penalties for each violation are up to US$15 million.

In addition, violations and consumer complaint public database will be created, meaning violating companies will be exposed to shame and less opportunities to return to the American market, said the commissioner.

Nord told the Daily that although children’s apparel imports from Vietnam were not considerable, the agency wanted to ensure the Vietnamese industry knows the new regulations and avoids potential violations.

“Vietnam had some violations, and of course not as many violations as China,” she said, adding that due to rising market share of Vietnamese products in the U.S., risks of violations may be higher. In 2009, the U.S. imported US$10.1 billion worth of consumer products from Vietnam.

Stephen Lamar, executive vice president at the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), said producers should meet strictest regulations among the state ones and seek partners well understanding the U.S. regulations.

The conference was held by AAFA, in cooperation the American Chamber of Commerce, the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas) and the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association (Lefaso).

Source: SGT