Toys and Children's Products

Succeeding in the highly regulated toys and children’s products market

Families and educators buy toys and products for their children — our most vulnerable end users — hoping to find safe, high-quality and increasingly sustainable items on the shelves. People want to be confident that your products don’t contain dangerous substances and that they don’t put the health of little ones at risk with sharp edges or small parts that children could ingest; there’s a lot to consider. Consumers want to trust toy and children’s product brands and retailers that items have gone through rigorous testing and checks.

International technical committees and working groups work hard to maintain high safety and quality standards that toys and children’s products must meet to access global markets.

Moreover, the topic of sustainability is becoming increasingly popular in this market, as well. The idea of raising our children in a healthier and more protected world leads consumers to search for items from brands and retailers that pay more attention to safeguarding the environment as well as their children’s safety.

Finally, the volume of connected and smart children’s products is growing, providing unique experiences to our children. This comes with a new set of critical risks; from cybersecurity to radio frequency exposure, you as a brand or retailer must put more items on your to-do list before launching your product in your destination markets.

You are not alone in this journey to protect future generations. As your strategic partner, UL Solutions can guide you through this complex marketplace with the mission of working for a safer world.

UL Solutions can support global retailers, brands and manufacturers to market compliant, quality toys faster, starting from the initial stage of the product development process. We can help you evaluate your sustainability efforts through your product’s life cycle and differentiate your products in the competitive marketplace.

Simplify global market access with UL Solutions testing your toys and children’s products

UL Solutions’ high-tech global accredited laboratories offer a wide portfolio of testing to global mandatory standards and regulations. This portfolio includes chemical and microbiological analysis, physical–mechanical testing, flammability and electrical testing, and much more.

Whether you need to access the North American, European or Asian markets — or any other market in the world — we can help.

Avoid duplication of efforts and save costs and time by working with a partner to achieve your goals and launch compliant, quality products on the market.

Sell sustainable toys and children’s products to protect future generations around the world.

Toy and children’s product brands, retailers and manufacturers are looking to implement innovative, sustainable approaches to respond to the increasing demand for socially and environmentally sustainable products.

The industry’s trajectory toward greater sustainability includes increased use of recycled or bio-based plastics and intentional product design so that they are more easily recycled at the end of their usable life.

Incorporating sustainability demonstrates your principles to customers and helps drive revenue growth, reduce costs and mitigate risk.

UL Solutions can help you communicate your sustainability efforts to your consumers so you can avoid greenwashing issues and manage a more socially responsible supply chain.

We offer resources and tools to implement corporate sustainability strategies at all levels to enhance your brand, increase competitive advantage and productivity at reduced costs, and minimize carbon risk while improving energy efficiency to become a greener company.

Evaluate the safety, security, and performance of your connected toys or children’s products to access new markets with confidence.

Innovative products come with a set of new risks that toy and children’s product manufacturers have to face, from safety, security and performance issues to evaluations of specific absorption rate (SAR), electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and cybersecurity. Are you sure you’re taking the most comprehensive approach before launching your products in the global markets?

UL Solutions offers a wide range of services to guide you through this complex landscape.

End-to-end quality and supply chain management solutions for the toys and children’s products industry

If you are looking for third-party inspections to evaluate whether your product meets specifications prior to releasing the shipment, you can count on our global footprint, product expertise and data management software.

Our customized inspection programs can help you optimize your global supply chain and:

• Improve your time to market.
• Demonstrate the quality of your toys and children’s products as related to specifications or quality feature requirements requested by the retailer or brand.
• Prevent defective products from reaching your customers.
• Avoid loss of products and revenues, delayed shipments, wasted materials and product recalls in your destination markets.

To gain greater visibility and control over your testing, inspections and audits, we offer our PATH™ SmartSuite software, which will help you navigate through supply chain complexities, providing access to project order management, business intelligence, corrective actions, information management and product regulations.