Welcome to the International Chemicals Management Toolkit for the Toy Supply Chain!
About this toolkit
This international toolkit was developed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Economy Division, Chemicals and Health Branch in collaboration with the Baltic Environment Forum (BEF). It has been developed within the framework of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project ID: 9771 on Global Best Practices on Emerging Chemical Policy Issues of Concern under the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM).
Whom this toolkit is for
The toolkit is intended to support stakeholders in the toys industry. Depending on where your organisation is in the value chain, here you will find useful information, guidance and tools to support you in your work.
- Manufacturers/formulators/compounders of plastic raw materials/pellets for manufacturing
- Manufacturers of toys or toy parts from plastic pellets (i.e., the actors buying fully compounded plastic pellets and manufacture these into parts/toys by e.g., extrusion or injection moulding)
- Assemblers of toys from individual parts (i.e., the actors buying individual parts and assembling final products)
- Importers and retailers of toy products
- Policymakers in the field of chemicals management, toy or product safety or the toy value chain, who want to know more about chemicals management in the toys supply chain
What this toolkit can help you with
The toolkit helps you with tracking and managing chemicals in your products, fulfilling your chemicals-related legal obligations and protecting children from chemicals of concern in toys. It is about knowing what chemicals you use and avoiding those that are of concern.
The toolkit aims to raise awareness on occurrences and risks related to chemicals of concern in toy materials at the early stages of the value chain, with a focus on plastics. The toolkit informs you how to substitute chemicals of concern and provides guidance on how to communicate on chemicals to consumers.
Besides, the toolkit provides information, tips, and guiding questions for stakeholders interested in going further than regulatory compliance.
Toolkit’s sections and how to use the toolkit
The toolkit is separated into 6 sections, with an additional section containing explanations of terms, which you can access via the main navigation of this webpage.
If you have not yet worked on chemicals and chemicals management, you may check out this toolkit in the sequence of the sections (e.g., navigation from left to right; number 1 to number 6). If you have specific challenges to address, you may also choose to focus only on the section that is relevant to that aspect. All sections are interrelated and links are provided throughout the different sections.
The types of tools in a section
The toolkit provides the following types of tools. Each section may contain some or all of these tools, depending on what type of support is needed for the task at hand.
Guidance documents | Brief and basic explanation of an issue giving an overview and orientation on what to consider | |
Training materials (slides) | Slides you can use to train your staff, your customers, or your suppliers. The slides usually summarise and illustrate the content of the guidance | |
Checklists and flow-charts | Checklists and flow-charts help you to step-by-step assess an issue and find out what you can do (next). They may be linked to other elements of the toolkit to help you using them | |
Implementation tools | Tools that you can implement in your work routines, e.g. a chemicals inventory template | |
Link lists | Here you find links to resources that either provide further information or could be used as (additional) tools. | |
Examples | Specific cases illustrate how the toolkit can be applied in practice. | |
Flyers ‘Going beyond!’ |
Information on what can be done beyond legal compliance and / or to ensure staying up to date on chemicals |
1 Background
This section provides background information on the challenges of chemicals of concern in toys, plastics and the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).
This section also provides information to interested users on the risks and effects of chemicals of concerns in the toys supply chain
The following materials are available:
1.1 Guidance: Understanding chemicals of concern (CoCs)
1.2 Checklist: Identify if you use CoCs in toys or toy parts
1.3 Guidance: GHS and chemical hazards for beginners
1.4 Training materials: GHS and chemical hazards for beginners
1.6 Training materials: Why children’s exposure to CoCs in toys is of particular concern
1.7 Guidance: What are plastics and what CoCs are found in plastics
1.8 Going beyond - Plastics, harmful chemicals and the environment
1.9 Guidance: Impurities and contaminants
1.10 Guidance: The issue of secondary materials
2 Legislation
This section helps you to identify regulatory requirements for chemicals in your toy product, depending on where the toy is placed on the market.
2.1 Guidance: How to find legislation on toys
2.2 Example: Identifying chemicals-related requirements for placing a toy on the US market
2.3 Link list: Legislation around the globe
2.4 Guidance: Staying up to date with legislation
2.5 Going beyond: Benefits and arguments for being more ambitious than regulatory compliance
3 Supplier communication
This section helps you to establish a good, clear and efficient communication with your suppliers, e.g., to get information on chemicals, or to discuss potential quality problems with them.
3.1 Guidance: Getting information on input materials from suppliers
3.2 Checklist: Assessing documentation of raw materials regarding chemicals
3.3 Guidance: Laboratory testing of raw materials regarding chemicals of concern
3.4 Guidance: Purchasing procedures
3.5 Example: Obtaining information from suppliers
3.6 Going beyond: Management of raw materials
3.7.1 Example: Letter of request for Declaration of Conformity
4 Chemicals inventory
This section helps you to build (or review) an inventory of chemicals in your raw materials and in your products. It also explains why you should use such a chemical inventory and how you can make the best use of it.
4.1 Guidance: Set up a chemicals inventory
4.2 Training materials: Set up a chemicals inventory
4.3 Tool: Chemicals inventory template (MS Excel®)
4.4 Guidance: Analysing and using a chemicals inventory
4.5 Checklist: Documenting inventory results and using them for further work
4.6 Example: Inventory of raw materials for toys production (MS Excel®)
4.7 Link list: Chemical inventories and purchasing criteria on chemicals
4.8 Going beyond - Making the chemicals inventory even more useful
5 Take action
This section provides guidance and tools for replacing a chemical of concern with alternative chemicals, another technology, or a different material.
5.1 Guidance: Prioritisation of CoCs for action
5.2 Guidance: On how to act on unwanted CoCs
5.3 Guidance: Substitution and alternatives assessment
5.4 Guidance: Communication about substitution
5.5 Example: Substitution of CoCs in toys
5.6 Link List: Acting on chemicals of concern
6 Informing customers
This section provides guidance on how to communicate on chemicals-related issues with your downstream supply chain and your end-use customers.
6.1 Guidance: Importance of supply chain communication and a basic flow of information
6.2 Guidance: organising supply chain communication in the company
6.3 Checklist: Clear communication to your downstream supply chain (self-check)
6.4 Tool: Template: communication on chemicals of concern in products (declaration of conformity)
6.5 Guidance: Informing consumers about chemicals (of concern) in toys
6.6 Example: consumer information on chemicals in toys
6.7 Do’s and don’ts regarding product sustainability information on chemicals
6.8 Link list: List of links to further information and communication instruments
Explanation of terms
Disclaimer
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The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Environment Programme. We regret any errors or omissions that may have been unwittingly made.