The market today offers a vast array of children's toys from numerous domestic and foreign brands. Beyond products with transparent origins, many unverified items pose potential safety hazards. Consequently, choosing high-quality toys has become a major concern for parents. To manage these products, the Ministry of Science and Technology issued QCVN 3:2019/BKHCN—the National Technical Regulation on Children’s Toy Safety.

What is a Certificate of Conformity?

Product conformity certification is the process of evaluating and confirming that a specific product or good complies with corresponding national technical regulations.

Specifically, a technical regulation defines the limits of technical characteristics and management requirements for a particular product. The purpose of these regulations is to ensure that products remain safe during production and business operations, posing no harm to human health or the environment, while protecting national interests and security.

Compliance with technical regulations is mandatory. The evaluation method for each specific subject is defined within its corresponding regulation.

In other words, conformity certification is an evaluative activity to determine if a business's goods meet national technical standards. All products must have a Certificate of Conformity during production or import before being circulated. Unlike "standard conformity" (which is often voluntary), "regulation conformity" is a compulsory procedure before goods reach consumers, distributors, or retailers.

Provisions of QCVN 3:2019/BKHCN on Children’s Toy Safety

Substandard toys always hide health risks, negatively impacting a child's physical and mental development through direct or indirect exposure to toxic chemicals. To protect children, businesses must note the following new regulations:

Prohibition of Non-Compliant Toys: Circular No. 09/2019/TT-BKHCN issued the new QCVN 3:2019/BKHCN to replace the old 2009 version.

• Toys produced or imported from January 1, 2020, onwards must be certified, declared, and bear the "CR" mark and proper labeling to be circulated.

• Toys certified under the old QCVN 3:2009/BKHCN before December 31, 2020, were only permitted for circulation until December 31, 2021.

Currently, facilities may only sell toys that comply with QCVN 3:2019/BKHCN and bear the "CR" mark. Continuing to sell products under the 2009 standard will result in administrative penalties according to Decree No. 119/2017/ND-CP and Decree No. 126/2012/ND-CP.

Key Control Points for Retailers and Businesses:

When selling children's toys, businesses must strictly control quality through the following checks:

1. Check QCVN Information: Verify the QCVN number on the label or the "CR" mark to ensure the toy is declared under the new regulation (QCVN 3:2019/BKHCN).

2. Verify the "CR" Mark: The "CR" mark must be affixed to the product, packaging, or label, accompanied by the abbreviation/logo of the certification body and the certificate number.

3. Inspect Product Labeling: Labels must be in Vietnamese (imports must have a supplementary Vietnamese label) and include:

   • Product name.

   • Name and address of the responsible entity (manufacturer or importer).

   • Origin of goods.

   • Technical specifications, components, warning information, usage instructions, and year of manufacture.

4. Document Retention: Business establishments must request and store a copy of the Certificate of Conformity from their suppliers. Ensure the information on the product label and the "CR" mark matches the data on the certificate.

Failure to comply with these regulations will result in administrative sanctions.

The information above outlines the regulations for children's toy conformity under QCVN 3:2019/BKHCN.

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Post Date: 01/02/2024