China's Choices
Choices that will have major global implications
There are no answers, just choices, this is one place to follow the choices that China makes. This nation of 1.3 billion people is faced with the daunting task of building on its 30 years of unprecedented economic development without further damage to its environment. How is it going to do this and how is that effort going to impact the rest of the world? ...learn more
GROUP DETAILS
Created: Dec 18, 2007
Updated: Nov 02, 2009
Membership: Open
Public
Topic: Lead Toy Contamination in China
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Hey, all:
Hey, Camilla: Yes, this email and your comments ties in very well with the other topic here, on lead and history. If due diligence is not exercised by those who are ultimately most economically vulnerable, i.e., the toy company whose name is on the toy, an awful lot of abuse and hazards can and almost guaranteed will occur. And the hazards are imposed on those who are most physiologically vulnerable. The slavishly worshipped "free enterprise system" (which could just as easily be called the "irresponsible enterprise system") is the biggest problem here, as it always has been, is, and will be. Greed makes more money than responsible practices. I guess what remains is whether the toy company who sent you the email is sincere or just engaging in a exercise in more lying. [Is that a little too cynical?] Of course, in addition to Lead, we have Cadmium, Arsenic, Mercury, and some other metals to worry about, and a bewildering host of organic chemicals which grows every day, both in their discovery for use by industry and in discoveries of their hazards by medical research. And metals and organics are just a start. David Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun! |
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I agree. Yes..I also tend to be cynical...maybe I should also post this comment in the Greenwashing Group.
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Hey, all:
Yes, Camilla, a Greenwashing message is a very good idea. We are all tied together so tightly even the ties are invisible. David Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun! |
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1 to 4 of 4 Posts
However, I think that this email indicates a very worrying trend for all products made in china - that is, the companies that have outsourced the manufacturing of goods to companies in China expect the factories to follow their instructions. As a result, they are not only outsourcing the manufacturing of the toys but also the quality assurance testing that ensures that they do indeed meet the standards that have been laid out.
Anyway, here's the email that was sent around a number of parents late last year. Does anyone else have any comments on the issue of toy manufacturing in China and the issues relating to lead contamination?
“It’s quite possible to make great quality children’s items in China, which meet all safety regulations, but the key point is that you have to test and inspect very frequently to be sure that your factories are always following your instructions explicitly. I assure you that’s exactly what we do.
From our experience, the key to doing this correctly is not simply to insist that your factories follow your instructions, but then to go one step further and to AUDIT, INSPECT, AND TEST very frequently. That is the most important part of the process, and it’s something our company has always taken VERY seriously.”