In a letter to EC President Ursula von der Leyen, toy industry leaders say online platforms and their sellers must be held accountable
Senior leaders from 180 toy companies across the EU have signed a letter calling on Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, to act in the interest of legitimate business and the safety of children across the bloc by closing e-commerce loopholes exploited largely by foreign traders.
The letter, backed by the Toy Industries of Europe, claims “too many unsafe toys are sold to European families through online platforms”, often by untraceable organisations and individuals with no EU presence. The result, the letter says, is an inability for officials to hold these sellers accountable, and a very real threat to both business and the safety of children.
“The result is a double failure: children are exposed to unsafe toys, while responsible European companies are forced to compete against businesses that bear none of the costs of compliance,” the letter says.
“As the Commission finalises the European Product Act, we ask for your leadership to close this accountability gap.
“Our ask is that every toy sold to EU consumers should have a clearly identifiable EU-established economic operator responsible for compliance. Where no such operator exists or can be identified, the online platform that chose to facilitate the sale should assume that responsibility.”
The letter is signed by founders and senior executives from industry leaders, including Asmodee, Boti, Clementoni, Haba, Hasbro, Jumbo Group, Kosmos, Lego, Mattel, Playmobil, Ravensburger, Schleich, Smart Games, Simba Dickie Group, Smyths, Tomy, VTech and Zapf Creation.
It argues for a more level playing field – one, it says, that would benefit both consumers and businesses, and that would punish only bad actors who would continue to trade illegitimately.
“Our ask does not require platforms to guarantee compliance for every product they facilitate the sale of and this is not about creating additional burdens on responsible businesses or discouraging e-commerce. It is about ensuring that every company selling toys to European children plays by the same rules and that Europe’s high safety standards are backed by effective accountability. Only such a systemic solution will protect our industry and Europe’s most vulnerable consumers.”
The group petition mirrors the BTHA’s on-going work in the UK, pressuring Parliament to pass more stringent rules that would hold online sales platforms responsible for any unsafe, untested products sold by its users.
