Industry groups pressure toy makers
16 August 2007
Chinese industry groups have asked toy manufacturers to sign a public pledge to raise product safety standards after Mattel announced a second global recall of its Chinese-made toys, the Financial Times reported. The China Chamber of Commerce told manufacturers to "exercise self-discipline," employ full-time quality inspection staff and allow clients to conduct their own inspections. It also warned that serious quality breaches could allow "some countries [to] take advantage of the issue to raise trade barriers." Many Chinese toy factories are located in southern Guangdong province and owned by Hong Kong-based businesses. An industry group in Hong Kong also issued a public statement on product safety on August 15. "These incidents involved major [US] importers and caused significant damage to the image and reputation of the Hong Kong toy industry," said the Federation of Hong Kong Industries.