Swiss act over Chinese toy issue

Concerns have been raised over toys made in China Reuters

Amid safety fears, the Swiss are increasing checks on Asian toys after the recall of Chinese-made products this month. The aim is to find out the extent of the problem.

Officials have also sent out a letter to importers and manufacturers reminding them that they are responsible for guaranteeing the safety of Chinese-made products.

But Swiss experts in Chinese business have warned against solely blaming China for the problems with toys. Pressure for low prices and lack of quality control by western companies also play a role, they say.

Mattel, the world’s largest toymaker, withdrew almost 19 million products globally in mid-August, amid concerns over toxic paint and parts that could be swallowed by children.

Around 100,000 toys were affected in Switzerland. Retailers Toys “R” Us and Migros both withdrew items.

Textiles have also come under the microscope. New Zealand is currently investigating claims that Chinese-made clothes contain dangerous levels of formaldehyde.

The situation has prompted action from the Swiss authorities. But Michael Beer, head of the food safety division at the Federal Health Office, said it was not possible to know which items could be affected next.

Swiss market

“The challenge we face is that we have to make sure that all the products, no matter where they come from, are safe,” Beer told swissinfo.

“We don’t even know if the products in discussion are really in Switzerland and that’s one of our goals: to check if there are problem [items] on the market in Switzerland and then we’ll take them off the market and make sure they are no longer sold,” Beer said.

The health office and Swiss customs have just started a programme aimed at sampling specific toys imported from China and southeast Asia.

But Beer says although there is a need for more quality control, it is not the responsibility of the government.

“It’s really the task of the importers and the people who sell the products to the Swiss consumer,” he said.

The health office has sent out a letter reminding these companies of their duties and it will be checking documents to see that they have the CE European safety label, Beer said.

Officials are still investigating whether action over formaldehyde is needed, he added.

China’s reaction

For its part, China – with its export-led industry – has launched an investigation into the Mattel recall and says it will watch the issue closely.

It has also pointed out that of the billions of goods it produces a year, only a fraction are found to be faulty.

Swiss experts in Chinese business say it is important to consider both sides of the story.

“Chinese products are as safe as we make them,” Kurt Haerri, president of the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, told swissinfo.

“Western companies who produce or who have products made in China are fully responsible for the safety of those products and that the specifications are met,” he said.

Pressures

Chinese companies, he explained, are under huge pressure from western firms to reduce costs.

“If somebody on his way to reducing costs goes beyond what’s needed then we have the mess we are in now,” said Haerri, who is a senior vice-president at lift maker Schindler and has worked in China for seven years.

Chinese companies produce top quality items such as PCs for Sony and HP and lifts for Schindler’s business in China, said Haerri. The difference was that these firms were willing to pay for quality control – a situation from which lessons could be learned in the toy and other industries.

China had a certain responsibility and would make its own judgement on what happened, he said, but the authorities could not be expected to guarantee quality.

“Western companies who buy these products should take quality assurance costs into consideration from the very beginning,” said Haerri.

“In that way they can prevent what happened in the recent past.”

swissinfo, Isobel Leybold-Johnson

Toy recall

On August 2 toymaker Fischer-Price, which is owned by Mattel, recalled almost 1.5 million Chinese-made toys over fears that their paint contains too much lead.

Two weeks later Mattel recalled around 19 million toys globally which contained parts that could be swallowed by small children or lead paint were also recalled. Lead has been linked to health problems in children, including brain damage.

In Switzerland, 94,000 toys, mostly dolls and accessories by Polly Pocket and Doggy Daycare, were recalled.

The Chinese toy industry was reported to be worth $17.8 billion (SFr21.7 billion) last year. In Europe around 80 per cent of toys sold come from China.