WE ARE COMMITTED TO SAFETY: The majority of our toys are manufactured in Europe, the remainder in China, Thailand and Vietnam. The country of origin of each product is listed in the product description so you can make an informed decision about your purchase. As you probably are aware, the vast majority of toys sold in the United States are made in China. While we do carry some toys from China, we insist that the factories are owned and controlled fully by the U.S. or European manufacturer. We carry Melissa and Doug toys made in China and they own the factory and employ their personnel in the factory to ensure that their high safety standards are met. We carry Haba German products, some of which are now manufactured in China, and again, they own the factories and control every step of the process. We are a family owned company and are committed to the safety of children. We have two young children ourselves and would never sell a toy that we would not be willing to give to them. We insist on safety assurances from every toy manufacturer and will not sell any toy without that complete assurance. We turn down products that cannot provide us with the safety information we demand. All Willow Tree Toys products are lead-free, non-toxic, and have passed European and American safety tests, including EC Toy Safety Directive European Standard EN71 and ASTM (American) International Standards. We purchase from smaller companies who produce fewer numbers of toys thereby allowing them to personally implement and oversee a structured safety program. We do not carry mass-produced or media related products. With the cost of labor today, it is unlikely that manufacturing will be removed from China. However all of the recent bad press will certainly bring attention to the safety issues and will likely result in better inspections and safer toys. Since it would be extremely difficult/impossible to avoid all Chinese products, our suggestion is to keep doing the research and make sure that you are buying from reputable companies. The company's reputation and commitment to quality will help ensure your child's safety more than the origin of manufacture. Insist that companies you do business with use Chinese factories that are owned specifically by the manufacturer. The recently recalled toys containing lead paint were manufactured by third party vendors, where the manufacturer does not have direct oversight of the quality. |
