New Consumer Product Safety Regulations Set for 2009
Apparel manufacturers have one year to prepare for the effects of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. Introduced late in 2007 in reaction to a rash of safety scares and mass recalls connected to imported children’s toys, the act became law this summer and significantly increases oversight of imported goods and includes new, far-reaching regulations that impact apparel companies producing goods overseas.
Spearheaded by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the law mandates a study of risks resulting from formaldehyde in textiles and apparel be performed within two years of the law’s enactment. What exactly that means for apparel companies remains to be seen. A deadline of Nov. 12 has been set for the commission to officially announce regulations governing the inclusion of required warnings or cautionary statements.
Under the new law, civil penalties for failure to report and other violations of the act are significantly increased. Penalties will increase from $8,000 to $100,000 for each violation, and the current maximum penalty of $1.825 million is increased to $15 million. Criminal penalties will include higher fines, and prison sentences can reach five years under the new law. —Erin Barajas
