Years of interacting with major manufacturers has lead us to a paradigm shift. We’ve come to believe that the problem with product safety really has less to do with where the product is manufactured, and more to do with the company developing and producing the product.
The U.S. has fallen asleep at the wheel in regard to our own chemical policies, leaving us to search for clear information on what chemicals are actually harmful and how to avoid them on our own. To make things more difficult, ingredient labeling isn’t required for most products so we are forced to spend endless hours trying to extract this information from manufacturers. And to add insult to injury, we’re constantly being barraged by recalls – mostly on products made in China.
Avoiding Products Made in China Doesn’t Solve the Entire Problem of Safety
Did you know that global production of bisphenol A was estimated to be over 2.2 million tons in 2009 and in 2004 over 1 million tons was produced right here in the U.S.? The point here is that by focusing on country of origin as the main issue, we miss the bigger problem and our approach to choosing safer products is skewed.
The Center for Environmental Health points to another fact that is often overlooked: toxic product recalls happen with products made in the U.S. too.
Eighty percent of all toys are made in China. Therefore, the majority of toys that we tested are also from China. However, consumers cannot automatically assume that products made in the U.S. do not contain chemicals of concern. Beyond the lead paint restriction, there are no mandatory rules to regulate what can or cannot be used in children’s products in the U.S., and no disclosure requirements on toxic chemicals in toys.
Why Do We Offer Products Made in China in Our “Non-toxic” Store?
While it’s not our first choice to sell products made in China, many companies are forced to manufacture in plants outside the U.S. for two main reasons:
- The market demands value pricing which is often unattainable when manufacturing in the U.S.
- Some products require specialized skills that are no longer available in the U.S., such as stainless steel fabrication (there is not a single stainless steel water bottle made in the U.S. currently)
In our opinion, the real question is whether the company has made a commitment to ensuring high quality or not.
We make our decision to retail a product based on our knowledge of each individual company. Here is an example of the interview process we begin with for each potential vendor:
1. What materials are used to manufacture your product inside and out?
2. Do you have third-party safety done testing on a regular basis? If so, please send test results along with your reply.
3. Where are your products manufactured? If in China, how do you maintain quality production and ensure fair working conditions/wages for employees of the factory?
We work with some amazing companies who committed to the safety of their products. We choose companies that have proven they’re full of integrity by monitoring the production of their products carefully and fully back the quality and safety of each one.
Of course, this is just our two cents. And we’ll always choose USA made products when given the option – assuming they meet our standards for integrity and quality assurance!
