A couple of years ago, Fatherly.com highlighted a serious problem in the article “The Dangerous Toy and Baby Product Recalls Parents Should Know About“ by Cameron LeBlanc:
On average, more than 100 kids toys and baby products are recalled each year due to defect. And even though most recalls are voluntary, companies are rarely inclined to shout their foibles from the mountaintop. As a result, few parents ever hear about them.
In fact, only 30 percent of recalled products ever make their way back to the manufacturer. Instead, they are handed down to other new parents, find their way into consignment shops, or end up on Goodwill shelves where they can potentially harm other children.
It is incredible to see how many products are recalled and how many never make their way back to the manufacturer. This is certainly an area where Blockchain could be enabled to help manufacturers and consumers understand where the product is and if the product has been recalled. This is one reason that in the European Union they are unifying poison control centers under ECHA and issuing a UFI. In fact the article goes on to say that:
Fortunately, there are multiple government agencies most importantly the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which has jurisdiction over more than 15,000 kinds of consumer products and watchdog groups like KidsinDanger.org and Safe Kids Worldwide who keep tabs on it all. In fact, six federal agencies have joined together to create Recalls.gov, an online hub where they “alert the American people to unsafe, hazardous or defective products.”
Indeed it is impressive to see the number of government agencies and non-government organizations that act as whistle blowers on faulty or hazardous products. As the global supply chain expands and the demand for toys continues, there will be greater chance for fraud in the supply chain. It is more important than ever that parents know where their toys are coming from and what ingredients they include.
Reality Changing Observations:
1. Do you use any of the listed sites to check if your children’s toys have hazardous materials in them or have been recalled?
2. Have you ever had one of your child’s toys recalled?
3. What do you think we can do to create less hazardous toys or ones that lass without defects?
