ICTI certification forces toy companies into various difficulties

ICTI certification forces toy companies into various difficulties

Is ICTI an opportunity for toy companies?
The rapid development of the toy industry has brought more job opportunities to practitioners, but also requires companies to have a high level of socially responsible production. Therefore, for toy export companies, obtaining ICTI certification will gradually become an indispensable entry condition for entering the international market.
ICTI advocates not hiring child labor, forced labor or prisoners, and should not refuse to hire due to gender, race, religion, affiliation or organization. At the same time, factories should comply with environmental protection regulations. ICTI audits will be checked with local laws, and on-site inspections and interviews with workers will be conducted. The content involves child labor, prison labor/forced labor/working hours/wages and subsidies/discrimination/working conditions and industrial safety. When an enterprise meets these requirements, it can apply to the Toy Association for certification, or make rectifications in accordance with these requirements to make the enterprise meet the standards and obtain a pass to the international market. When applying for ICTI certification, enterprises must prepare the information in advance, which can be directly checked on the ICTI website. You can also obtain a full set of factory application materials through e-mail, normal mail, fax, or from the ICTI website, including: application form, factory fee table, confidentiality agreement, special terms, and approved audit agencies. Enterprises need to note that there are three audit opportunities for one application for ICTI certification. After the enterprise applies, it must do the first preliminary review within 3 months. Factories must ensure that they comply with the ICTI International Toy Council's business operation standards. Failure to do so will waste application time and costs, and they may also lose their supplier qualifications in the future.
For enterprises, survival and development are the biggest issues. If an enterprise operates strictly in accordance with internationally recognized standards, it will undoubtedly have more competitive advantages than other enterprises that have not obtained a "pass" and will have the potential to survive and develop.

Hassenfeld, president of the International Toy Association, announced at a toy exhibition that "what we need to do is to establish a unified standard for factory inspections before non-governmental organizations bring charges against us." In fact, his concerns are not "groundless." It is understood that only 500 companies in the world have applied for ICTI certification, and only 200 have been certified. Investigations show that many factories in China still violate labor laws, especially some labor-intensive enterprises in coastal areas, where workers often work overtime, do not purchase social insurance, restrict workers from entering and leaving the factory freely, and collect deposits or certificates.
International toy buyers have announced through the International Toy Association (ICTI) website that mainland toy companies must obtain the ICTI Code of Business Conduct certification before January 1, 2006, otherwise they will cancel orders from these factories. They hope to establish a responsible social image for toy companies through mandatory requirements. However, judging from the implementation, whether "sweatshops" can become a thing of the past remains to be seen. Some factories even believe that this is a trade barrier intended to restrict the development of Chinese toy companies in the world.