Son: Please Mom, I neeeeeed that new toy.
Mom: No, and that’s final.
Son: But everyone has it…and, and…and its manufactured under tighter lead, PVC, and cadmium standards.
Mom: Oh ok son, go right ahead, how much money will you need?
Don’t expect this conversation to happen at toys r us any time soon but it is worth noting that the retail chain has made the move to only toys manufactured under tighter toxin standards. Is this image cleanup for the toy industry? Probably. But I think it’s an interesting that Geoffrey the Giraffe and friends saw opportunity in cleaning up factory floors.
For example:
Under Toys R Us new demands “Substrate materials must meet a 250 ppm for lead, rather than the current federal standards, which demand 600 ppm. …they will also conduct more frequent testing” according to the article by Green Biz.
File this one under: a retail chain making ripples in the eco pond that is green business. When the backwards R says they aren’t taking products unless they’re made cleanly, an entire industry changes production methods. Hey, sometimes the crying baby pounding her fists on the aisle floor does get what she wants.
Green Collar Manufacturing 