Apparel Industry Testifies on Product Safety

During last week’s Senate subcommittee oversight hearing, “Oversight of the Consumer Product Safety Commission: Product Safety in the Holiday Season,” several associations presented testimony on how to improve the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).

Among the groups addressing the committee was the Handmade Toy Alliance (HTA), which stated that the lack of reform to the CPSIA has left their member businesses and countless other companies confused and unable to move forward, while they struggle to navigate the costly labeling and third-party testing protocols.

For its part, the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) reiterated its support of product safety, but said the CPSIA created “endless confusion, extensive burdens, huge costs, job losses, and irreparable damage to the business community.” The AAFA made the following recommendations to the committee: base product safety decisions on risk and supported data; give the Consumer Product Safety Commission more flexibility to interpret the CPSIA; ensure that new regulations do not contradict existing ones; ensure prospective application of all rules; establish deadlines that permit compliance; publicize all pending developments; and avoid “one size fits all” approaches.