SGS : New EU Commission Guidance Document on Decorative Products and Product for Collectors

The European Commission has published a new guidance document. No. 20, focusing on the question of when a decorative or collectible product is a toy, or not.

SAFEGUARDS | Toys & Juvenile ProductsNO. 104/21

The EU Commission and Member States Toy Expert Group publish guidance documents to assist in the application and understanding of the EU Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC.

Guidance document No. 20 on decorative products focuses on the question of when a decorative or collectible product should be classified as a toy, or not, and whether it should fall within the scope of the Toy Safety Directive. Many guidance documents have been published to deal with this important question, in relation to different product categories, as it defines whether or not a product needs to comply with the EU Toy Safety Directive.

The classification is based on the scope of the EU Toy Safety Directive: 'products designed or intended, whether or not exclusively, for use in play by children under 14 years of age.' However, the assessment of a product's play value can be difficult.

Decorative and collectible products that are not toys should comply with the General product safety Directive.

Guidance No. 20 provides criteria and examples to help differentiate between toys and non toys.

Please find a link to the full text of the guidance document here (also the source of the images shown above).

SGS offers a wide range of services to ensure that your products comply with the EU Toy Safety Directive. We offer training, safety/risk assessment, technical documentation check, labelling review, testing according to harmonized standards, SVHC screening, inspections and audits. We operate the world's largest network of toy experts and testing facilities - around 20 toy laboratories worldwide, including 3 EU Notified Bodies (France, Germany and Netherlands). In the end, it's only trusted because it's tested. Contact us for more information or visit our website.

For inquiries, please contact:

Sanda Stefanovic
Toys Expert
t: [phone]

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