May 29, 2003 Washington, DC, United States — Which companies made progress? Which
didn't? Find out more about PVC and your child's toys. We released our first Toy Manufacturers'
Report Card in February 2000 at the International Toy Fair in New York
City. We wanted to inform parents, educators
and consumers about how to make sound choices in purchasing toys for small
children. We provided current
information about toy manufacturers' use of PVC and toxics additives in their
products. The response from concerned
parents was overwhelming. This year, we
updated the list. Did companies hold firm on their policies to eliminate PVC
and toxic additives? Did any companies
make improvements? Was there any backsliding?
Here's what we found.
2003 Toy
Report Card Grades:
A: Excellent, will phase out all
PVC products, or products contain no PVC
B: Above average, will phase out
some PVC products
C: Average, will eliminate
phthalates in toys for children under 3
D: Below average, will eliminate
phthalates only in toys intended for the mouth
F: Fail, no policy change
|
Manufacturer |
2000
Grade |
2003
Grade |
Comments |
|
Brio |
A |
A |
Keep up the great work! |
|
Chicco |
B |
A |
Good effort |
|
Discovery Toys |
C |
B |
Could do better |
|
Disney |
D |
Inc |
No reply after repeated inquiries |
|
Evenflo |
D |
A |
What an improvement - bravo! |
|
First Years |
D |
C+ |
Not living up to potential, but keep trying |
|
Gerber |
A |
A |
One of the stars! |
|
Hasbro/Galoob/Playschool |
D |
Inc |
No reply after repeated inquiries |
|
International Playthings (Primetime & Early Start |
A |
A |
One of the stars! |
|
Kids II |
D |
Inc |
no reply after repeated inquiries |
|
Lamaze Infant Development |
B |
A |
Hope you can eliminate PVC in those last three products
quickly |
|
Lego Systems |
A |
A |
Still waiting for the elimination of PVC in train wiring |
|
Little Tykes |
A |
C |
May have been misgraded in 2000, what a disappointment |
|
Manhattan Baby |
F |
B |
Incredible improvement - keep it up! |
|
Mattel/Tyco/Fisher Price |
C |
C |
Could do a lot better - keep working at it |
|
Munchkin Inc. |
F |
D |
Barely improved - need to work much harder |
|
Safety First |
D |
Inc |
No reply after repeated inquiries |
|
Sassy |
A |
A |
Please get rid of that one PVC product - the baby photo
book |
|
Shelcore |
C |
D |
Very disappointing |
|
Tiny Love |
A |
A |
Great work! |
|
Warner Bros. |
F |
Inc |
No reply after repeated inquiries |