Three toy standards have recently been harmonised within the EU

Since Brexit standards now need to be “Designated” in the UK. Currently none of these standards have been designated however the Office for Product Safety and Standards is aware of the changes and is due to publish their proposed actions shortly. After publication the standards will become designated 28 days later.

It is very likely that the same steps will be taken in the UK. In the meantime, companies should assess whether testing to the new standard still give compliance to the current standard when deciding what standard to test to. UK Declarations of Conformity will in the meantime need to state the old standards.

Titanium Dioxide - UK

The re-classification of Titanium Dioxide has caused issues for certain toy products and in the EU a submission has been sent to the EU Commission seeking an Appendix A derogation.

It is not clear how this will work in the UK however the same steps are being taken by industry and it is hoped the same outcome will be achieved. It is very early days with the approach to chemical restrictions in the UK and it is not yet clear how the changes will be managed and the timescales that will be applied.

Appendix C Aniline - UK

You may be aware that in the EU aniline has been restricted under an Appendix C tightened level for certain substances. Again, this issue is known in the UK but no final decision has been taken to match the steps taken within the EU. However, compliance with the additional restriction will not affect UK compliance for products.