Could CPSIA mark the D day for Baby Sprout Naturals and my wonderful new Wuggli I so lovingly made to sell for babies? I sure hope not. I pray and pray and pray that this law will be changed before our lives are changed FOREVER!!!
The SHORT version:
Bush passed a law in August 2008 called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). It requires the testing of all products for children 12 years and younger for lead and phylates. All products must be certified - each batch separately tested and certified. Everything baby or child related, from toys to clothing to furniture has to be certified. And this law is retroactive meaning everything produced before the law must comply by (GET THIS) February 10th 2009!!!! It's ridiculous because much of the product - like fabric - already meets government standards for lead and dyes used. This law requires additional testing of manufactured products even if there is no chance that the product contains these chemicals. So I am currently trying to get certification letters from all of my vendors. Hopefully these certifications will cover my current inventory. If not - I'm bankrupt.
This is an outrage. This is as bad or worse than the Mortgage Nightmare or the Car Industry Nightmare. This will effect thousands of retailers nationwide and will put most small businesses out of business. All mom's making home made products will no longer be allowed to. My 100% Organic baby lovey (Wuggli) will never be sold if I have to send hundreds of dollars on testing when the fabric itself is alreay safe! It is so much an outrage because the law has circumvented prior laws that would help protect retailers or manufacturers like this. Prior law required that the CPSC prepare & make available for public comment an initial regulatory flexibility analysis that describes the impact of the lead content testing rule on small apparel manufacturing businesses, Congress has circumvented the public discourse necessary to truly ascertain the CPSIA's impact on small business. As written, the CPSIA ignores the wide variety of small business models that comprise the children's apparel manufacturing industry & the fact that the majority are indeed small businesses.
I need your help. I found several blogs regarding this issue. (See attached Word Document)I have compiled a letter, from letters I found that were meticulously drafted with educated information regarding the impact of this law,and sent it to Dan Lungren, Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, but I want to do more. I want to get this story to the Press, to all News Stations (locally at least), to the Governor if possible and even to Obama if at all possible. So many professional vendors are only just now realizing that this law affects them too. I think that's why there hasn't been much talk about it. It is an outrage and it is going to kill the already spiraling economy.
If you have any way to find out EXACTLY who to contact regarding this mess I would really appreciate it. If you know any politicians PLEASE send them this information or let me know who they are and I will. I want EVERYONE I can to find out about this. We must stop this before it puts thousands of hard working mom's and toy makers out of business!!!! See my next article for a very well written letter you may copy and send to whomever you think can stop this ridiculously flawed act! Send it to news stations, newspapers, politicians, friends, family. Get this in front of our new President, Obama. Maybe he will support us and help save our businesses!
My business started out of my passion for change, for improvement and for children. If my business dies, a part of me will die along with it.
Dawn LaPolla
Current and Hopefull Owner of Baby Sprout Naturals.
"Saving the baby product industry, one letter at a time!"
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