WHY BUDDYPHONES ARE SAFE
- by Ester Hilmarsdottir
- 7 min reading time
At onanoff we believe being responsible means doing what is right. For us this means incorporating social and environmental priorities and practices into our brand, our products, and our relationship with customers, vendors, consumers and employees, as well as the planet. We take this very seriously and work hard to make a difference by complying with, and even exceeding, industry standards and our own sustainability goals. We continuously work to ensure our materials and finished products are safe for consumers and below you will find a list of directives, standards and regulations onanoff is proud to comply with.
Every day we work to earn consumers’ trust by creating the best quality products that are safe for all to use. Providing our consumers with safe, high-quality products is a top priority, and since the very beginning we have ensured that our products are non-toxic and safe. We value the trust that parents and children have in our product. Keeping kids safe is what BuddyPhones is all about, so we make sure we do our part.
European Standards
CE marking is a symbol of free marketability in the European Economic Area (Internal Market).
RoHS Directive of the European Union
The RoHS legislation restricts the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment and promotes the collection and recycling of such equipment. Not only does it include finished products, but also spare parts, raw materials and packaging intended for production of the finished products. The legislation provides for the creation of collection schemes where consumers return their used e-waste free of charge. The objective of these schemes is to increase the recycling and/or re-use of such products. It also requires heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium and flame retardants such as polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) to be substituted by safer alternatives.
REACH
Reach is a regulation of the European Union, adopted to improve the protection of human health and the environment from risks posed by chemicals. It covers a wider scope than RoHS. While RoHS is specifically for electronics, REACH applies to all chemical substances; not only those used in industrial processes but also in our day-to-day lives that people may interact with. It also promotes alternative methods for the hazard assessment of substances in order to reduce the number of tests on animals.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive)
Waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) such as computers, TV-sets, fridges and cell phones is one the fastest growing waste streams in the EU. The WEEE Directive sets collection, recycling and recovery targets for all types of electrical goods. To improve the environmental management of WEEE and enhance resource efficiency the improvement of collection, treatment and recycling of electronics at the end of their life is essential.
Green Dot
This European recycle symbol has become an internationally recognized model that contributes to the successful implementation of producer responsibility by the companies involved. When you see the ‘Green Dot’ on packaging it means that the manufacturer of the packaging has paid a financial contribution to a national recycling effort geared towards full recovery of packaging material and promotion of easy-to-recycle components in packaging.
Package waste 94/62/EC
To harmonize national measures concerning the management of packaging and packaging waste, the Directive 94/62/EC was adopted in order to restrict the presence of certain heavy metals in packaging (such as Hg, Pb, Cr6+, Cd) to protect the environment from hazardous substances and materials. 
EN71-1 Mechanical and Physical Properties
This legislation is required for conformity with the European Toy Safety directive. It specifies the requirements for mechanical and physical properties of toys, in order to make sure toys don’t have any that could injure a child.
EN71-2 Flammability of Toys
This regulation looks at a number of different factors which could lead to a injury to a child due to flammability. These include determining the presence of any flammable materials that are prohibited in children's play toys, how long the item burns for and how quickly flames spread across it .
Sound Pressure Testing EN50332
In order to minimize the risk of hearing impairment, this European standard has been issued which specifies test procedures for measuring the sound levels from the headphones and earphones of personal music players and similar consumer equipment. It is a maximum sound pressure level measurement methodology and limit consideration for hearing protection purposes.
Azo Dyestuff Test
AZO dyes is the name of a group of synthetic dyestuffs based on nitrogen that are often used in textile industry. Some AZO dye stuffs may separate under certain conditions to produce carcinogenic and allergenic aromatic amines. Textiles and leather products (that come into contact with the skin) imported into the EU are not permitted to contain azo dyes. Given that baby's skin has a natural sensitivity and an undeveloped derma, the health risk of exposure to aromatic azo dyes is very high.
Released Formaldehyde
This is a test for fabric and leather based materials, to detect formaldehyde, a known poison, which is not permitted to be released from materials. Among other effects, there is some evidence of asthma or asthma-like symptoms for children exposed to formaldehyde in homes.
USA Standards
CPSIA (The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act)
This is a legislated standard in the USA to protect consumers against all manner of potential dangers related to products: chemical, mechanical, flammability and more. The CPSIA included provisions addressing, among other things, lead, phthalates, toy safety, durable infant or toddler products, third-party testing and certification.
ASTM F963 Physical and Mechanical Toys (US)
This is s a very comprehensive standard that addresses numerous hazards that have been identified with toys. The requirements of physical and mechanical properties in ASTM F963 addresses issues such as sharp edges, choking hazards, burns and other dangers.
ASTM F963 Flammability (US) Toys
This is a safety standard, which requires that materials other than textiles (excluding paper), used in toys, shall not be flammable.
California Proposition 65
This proposition requires the State to publish a list of chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm. Its goals are to protect against toxic substances, to reduce or eliminate potential exposure to those chemicals, by requiring warnings in advance of those exposures. This standard covers many of the materials that REACH addresses.
CONEG Toxics in Packaging
This is the standard for Toxics in Packaging Legislation used by individual states in the USA. The goal of this legislation is to reduce the sum concentration levels of four incidentally introduced heavy metals, namely lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium present in any package or packaging component. The EU Packaging Directive imposes similar restrictions on the same heavy metal substances.
Specific Chemical and Material Descriptions
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic plastic polymer. In fact, this commonplace plastic is one of the most toxic substances saturating our planet and its inhabitants. PVC contaminates humans and the environment throughout its lifecycle: during its production, use, and disposal and is better lived without.
Phthalates are used in a wide range of common products, and are released into the environment. They can be removed by exposure to heat or with organic solvents. Phthalates can damage liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive systems and are one of the key hazardous materials used in uncertified PVC.
Bisphenol A is an organic chemical which is the essential basic building block for high performance polymer plastics and coatings, mainly polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Recent reports suggest that the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in the plastics could cause behavioral changes in babies or contribute to early onset of puberty in girls. It is a substance which has yet no formal regulation against its use, but is pre-emptively excluded in onanoff products.
