Protecting Your Client's Brand
One difficult challenge for the promotional products industry is that many products become children’s products only after they are decorated. Most blank water bottles, for example, are considered “general use” and not subject to CPSIA. But if a water bottle is imprinted with a juvenile logo—such as a Winnie-the-Pooh type of character that appeals primarily to young children—it is transformed into a children’s product and becomes subject to the entire suite of children’s product rules. The same applies to string backpacks and a host of other similar products. Some suppliers will note on their websites the “child-friendly” products for which they have third-party testing. Other suppliers have CPSIA test reports for all of their products. Speak to your suppliers to learn each one’s protocol for children’s products. Complying with the law is a partnership and requires open communication between distributor and supplier. You should know which of your supplier’s blank products are “children’s product” compliant just as your supplier should be told when the intended audience for your promotion includes children. Make this a standard question you ask your clients for every order.