The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's Energy Conservation and Comprehensive Utilization Department conducts research on the control of harmful substances in toys

Recently, the Youth Theory Learning Group of the Energy Conservation and Comprehensive Utilization Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in conjunction with the Certification Supervision Department of the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Environmental and Green Development Center of the Fifth Research Institute of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, visited Shantou City in Guangdong Province. They focused on the theme of "Control of Harmful Substances in the Toy Industry" to carry out a research and problem-solving activity on "Key Small Matters," collaboratively promoting the control of harmful substances in toys and ensuring high-quality industrial development. The research team visited several toy manufacturing enterprises, including Gaodesi and Rastar, in Chenghai District of Shantou City, gaining a detailed understanding of the entire process of raw material selection, production processing, testing and certification, and market sampling inspection for plastic toys and electronic toys. They particularly listened to the enterprises' introductions on control measures for harmful substances such as plasticizers and heavy metals, as well as the implementation of relevant domestic and international standards and regulations. During this period, discussions were held with local industrial and information departments, market supervision departments, toy industry associations, quality testing institutions, and key manufacturing enterprises to conduct in-depth discussions on the difficulties, technical bottlenecks, and policy needs in the control of harmful substances in the industry. Enterprises reported that after years of development, China's toy industry has established a relatively complete working system for the control of harmful substances. Leading enterprises in the industry generally adopt various measures to strengthen control, such as green management of suppliers, raw material incoming control, pre-production assessment of new products, real-time monitoring during production, self-inspection of finished products, and dual testing by third-party testing. However, it is also important to recognize that there are numerous small and medium-sized enterprises in the toy industry, a large number of employees, and persistent issues with "three-no" products, leading to occasional occurrences of excessive harmful substances in toy products. Recent media reports have highlighted some typical cases. With the in-depth research on the toxicity of various harmful substances, advancements in testing technologies, and stricter management requirements, relevant control regulations and standards still need further improvement, and enterprises' awareness of compliance and control capabilities regarding harmful substances need to be further enhanced