From Handmade Cape May 2010

Pete and Elaine Woodbridge, designers of the funky Woo-men Plush Toys range, have just been through the painstaking process of getting their products certified for safety. It’s been a long haul, but well worth it, they report, and they encourage other craft producers to do the same, whether you sell locally or overseas. Here’s the low-down from Pete and Elaine…

Woo-men toys have been exported in small quantities to Europe and the UK since 2008/9, and this prompted investigating the issue of safety and the CE mark – a self-applied mark that indicates the product meets certain safety and quality standards. It is required in Europe for all products, especially those for children.

Various standards exist for different products, and for toys it is the EN71 norm which is aligned with the more universal ISO 8124. Although Woo-men are largely aimed at the adult collector, a significant proportion of their market is children under the age of 14.

Three aspects of soft toys are a concern for safety: toxicity, flammability and removable parts (which could become a choking hazard) and going to a professional testing body became necessary. The only body conducting tests in SA is the SABS. Pete and Elaine got  funding assistance from SEDA for tests that cost in the region of R20 000 for 20 samples. It took about one year to research international safety standards, work through various quotations and funding applications, and finally wait while tests were being conducted.

This process prompted them to standardise their materials, as the test results only apply to what is physically tested, so one has to be sure that one will be using materials and designs long term. Part of this standardising was developing long-term relationships with preferred suppliers. With the help of their business advisor Anton Ressel, they managed to negotiate an excellent rate for fabric from a preferred supplier.

“The toys were mangled and destroyed in the process of testing, but they emerged as little heroes,” said Pete and Elaine, who can now apply the CE mark, and the words ‘Non-Toxic’, ‘Suitable for All Ages’ on the tags.

“It is important to understand with testing, that results only apply to the exact products and materials tested. You can’t confer the results on another product and if you start making the same product with different materials, even a colour change, the results no longer apply,” they said. “After testing, we are allowed to say that our product has been tested by SABS but we cannot say it is ‘SABS Approved’, or use an SABS logo as that involves another process in which one’s business and manufacturing processes and premises are also inspected.”

Testing usually only becomes pressing for export, they say, but in fact it is just as relevant in the local market, especially when selling to international customers. Funding is available and it is worth standardising as much as possible to have tests done, even if only for part of one’s product range, as this could be the key to consumer confidence in the product, and business growth.

Contact: Elaine Woodbridge elaine@woomen.co.za ¦021 788 8249 ¦072 698 8214