Topics include:

1. FTC Textile Labeling
2. Law Labels (stuffed articles)
3. TB-117 Flammability Labeling
4. TSCA Title VI
5. California Prop 65

What are Combined Product Labels?

If you’ve brought a stuffed article to market, you’re already familiar with the standard law label that must be attached to bedding and furniture products. These labels give consumers important insight into the filling of the product, so they can make an informed decision before making a purchase.

Law labels are a great starting point for transparency, but there are a number of other regulatory labels that share even more information, including details on flammability and compliance.

These regulatory labels can simply be attached to the product’s law label, but too many labels risks confusing the consumer. A more streamlined option is to combine several labels into one, also called a combined product label.

Combined product labels present several labels worth of information on a single label. When designed correctly, they are a completely compliant way to give consumers a clearer picture of your product’s standing with state and federal regulations.

Sample: Combined Product Label, TB 117 + CPSC + Law Label

What Types of Labels Can Be Combined?

Several types of regulatory labels can be added to the standard law label, including:

• California TB-117 2013 Label: Required by California for indoor upholstered furniture.
• CPSC Label: In 2021, the Consumer Product Safety Commission adopted TB-117, requiring the same flammability standards as California.
• Prop 65 Label: Required by California for all consumer products that expose individuals to chemicals on the Proposition 65 (Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act) list above “safe harbor” levels.
• TSCA Title VI Label: Federal label disclosing composite wood products meet formaldehyde emission limits.
• FTC Textile Label: Federal label required for textile products.

Combined Label Design Mistakes Put Your Products At Risk

Each type of label has its own design requirements. As you can imagine, those requirements become even more complicated when combined with other label types.

There are a number of common errors that companies make when designing their own combined product labels. Those design mistakes can cause their products to be found noncompliant and subject to fines and violations.

As with any label type, the safest path forward is to trust the label experts at American Law Label. With our 35+ years of expertise, ALL designs fully compliant combined product labels that will keep your products in good standing with regulators.

Register for the Combined Product Label Webinar

Combined Product Labeling: Consolidating Product Labels for Compliance & Clarity hosted by Baby Safety Alliance, Global Registration Services, and American Law Label.

The post Combined Product Labels: Compliance and Clarity appeared first on American Law Label, Inc..

Stuffed articles like pillows, mattresses and stuffed toys need a law label, that’s common knowledge. But there are some products that need a law label that might make you do a double-take. Here are five of the weirdest ones.

Car Seats
Take compliance on the road! Whether they’re for comfort or safety, any car seat that contains a filled material needs a law label.

Padded Potty Seats
Toilet seats that contain filled materials need a law label—no ifs, ands, or buts! If you sell padded potty seats, make sure you don’t turn the other “cheek" to registration and renewals.

Mechanic’s Dolly (aka Garage Creeper)
Keep your compliance rolling! Creepers with cushioning must be labeled—don’t get caught lying down on the job without proper registration.

Ice Fishing Bucket Seats
There are plenty of ice fishing buckets with lids that double as a comfortable seat for long hours on the lake. If you sell them, you’d better get comfortable with having a compliant law label!

Trampoline Padding
Staying compliant isn’t all fun and games. Trampolines are safer with padding to cover up metal components, and that padding is safer thanks to law labels and proper registration.

If you aren’t sure if your product needs a law label, reach out to our team and we will guide you. 

The post Yup, You Need a Law Label appeared first on American Law Label, Inc..

URN issues are one of the biggest reasons that stuffed articles get slapped with violations and removal from shelves. Here are two common issues to look out for.

What Is a URN?

A Uniform Registry Number (URN) is a unique ID identifier for the physical factory location that manufactures a stuffed article. The URN traces the product back to the site where it was physically manufactured.

To obtain a URN, the factory — or a representative acting on its behalf, such as an importer — must first apply for a URN in one of the regulatory agencies that regulates the items they produce. Once a URN is received, it must be registered in the remaining agencies that regulate those products to be properly recognized.

Improper Registration

There are a lot of hoops to jump through to ensure your product is properly registered in the correct states. Mistakes during registration can make a URN non-compliant.

If you have any doubts about how your product was registered, GRS offers URN Verification to ensure that your URN is active, current, and registered to the right factory.

The cost for verification is $97/URN, which will be credited toward a new Monitored Services subscription if you choose to have GRS manage your URNs and licenses.

Please use the button below to get in touch for URN Verification.

Label Formatting Mistakes

If your label wasn’t designed by an expert, it might have design errors that could open you to violations even if the URN is valid.

Get your label audited within 72 hours with a Label Audit from American Law Label. We’ll ensure your label’s design is fully compliant and error-free.

Important Compliance Dates

June License Renewals
On April 17, License Management subscribers will be invoiced for June license renewals.

As a reminder, this timeline gives the GRS team ample time to gather and submit the required information for renewals and help our customers avoid lapsed licensing, which can lead to costly fines and off-sales.

CA Renewals
On April 24th, we will add late fees to any unpaid California renewals that have an expiration date of April 30, 2025.

If your CA license expired on January 31, 2025 and you have not yet renewed, an additional late fee will be applied.

CT Renewals
We are currently working through Connecticut renewals, which expire on April 30. On April 22, we will add late fees to any unpaid Connecticut renewals that have an expiration date of April 30, 2025.

Please make sure you pay GRS invoices as they are received so our team can keep you ahead of lapsed licensing. Renewals are processed in the order the state receives them, so the quicker you send payment, the quicker CT will renew your license.

The post Two Tiny Mistakes Could Put Your Law Label At Risk appeared first on American Law Label, Inc..

In early February, a bill called S.B. 231 was introduced in the Utah legislature that would remove the overarching requirements supporting the state’s bedding, furniture, and quilted clothing program. Shortly thereafter in early March, Utah’s online visibility requirements were paused through a Change in Proposed Rule.

As a result, S.B. 231 hasn’t moved forward and has been returned to the rules committee to address the online visibility element. Utah’s session has concluded. Without a special session being called, we don’t expect S.B. 231 to move forward—at least not in the near future.

For now, the focus is on the Change in Proposed Rule for Utah’s online visibility requirements. We expect Utah to make this public soon, at which point they may accept comments for 30 days. Any commentary the state receives would go under review before a final decision is made.

We put together a guide on Utah’s pause of their online visibility requirements, including how to stay compliant in the state’s evolving regulatory landscape.

Why Product Safety Compliance Still Matters

Need new artwork for your law labels? Aside from printing, American Law Label offers full design services to provide you with fully IABFLO-compliant law label artwork.

Once your artwork is complete, you can print your labels with American Law Label or elsewhere. This is especially useful if you represent a foreign factory, and printing labels in your country is more convenient than having them shipped to you.

ICPHSO 2025 Recap

That’s a wrap! The GRS team just got back from ICPHSO’s 2025 Annual Meeting and Training Symposium Information in Orlando, FL. Here are a few quick takeaways that will shape the product safety community this year:

• CSPC e-filing continues to be top of mind for folks. If you haven’t identified a partner or your internal capacity for meeting these requirements, now is a good time to start! Importers interested in joining the voluntary stage should email eFilingSupport@cpsc.gov with the following information:
  • Company Name
  • Initial Business Account Administrator’s Name
  • Initial Business Account Administrator’s Email
  • Importer of Record Number(s)
  • Broker Filer Code(s)
  • Type of Products Imported
• Other big topics of conversation were Prop 65, TSCA reporting requirements, the convergence of compliance and sustainability, and ESG and its impact on the global landscape. This was a truly a great year for panel discussions!
• Don’t underestimate the value of coming together as a community through conferencing. Yes, it’s about the informative sessions and keynotes—but it’s also about connection, sharing stories and experiences, and building relationships that will also contribute to yours and your company’s success.

Toy Fair Recap

Tariffs, regulatory standards, counterfeit toys, chemical and environmental legislation—Toy Fair 2025 was a blast, but the issues facing the industry this year aren’t all fun and games! See our 3 quick takeaways from our trip to The Toy Association Inc.’s trade show.

Important Compliance Dates

Mark your calendar for these upcoming events and important compliance deadlines.

May License Renewals

On March 20, GRS’ License Management subscribers will be invoiced for May license renewals. As a reminder, this timeline gives the GRS team ample time to gather and submit the required information for renewals and help our customers avoid lapsed licensing, which can lead to costly fines and off-sales.

CA Renewals

On March 24, GRS will add late fees to any unpaid California renewals that have an expiration date of March 31, 2025. If your CA license expired on December 31, 2024 and you have not yet renewed, an additional late fee will be applied.

CT Renewals

GRS is currently working through Connecticut renewals, which expire on April 30. Please make sure you pay GRS invoices as they are received so our team can keep you ahead of lapsed licensing. Renewals are processed in the order the state receives them, so the quicker you send payment, the quicker CT will renew your license.

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Here’s what the Stuffed Toy Manufacturing Act is and what this new legislation means for manufacturers and retailers of stuffed toys

Update: June 2024 — HB 1333 Signed Into Law

In a big win for sustainability-minded manufacturers, Pennsylvania signed HB 1333 into law on June 28, 2024. HB 1333 legalizes the use of recycled materials for stuffed toy filling, updating the state’s 63-year-old Stuffed Toy Manufacturing Act..

There may be even more good news on the way. With Pennsylvania’s law modernized, efforts are now being made to tackle Ohio’s similarly antiquated legislation and pave the way for recycled filling materials in that state as well.

Stay tuned to the ALL newsletter for more information as it comes!

What is the Stuffed Toy Manufacturing Act?

Pennsylvania’s Stuffed Toy Manufacturing Act was passed on July 25, 1961. It put forth rules and regulations relating to stuffed toys sold in the state, including filling materials and sterilization procedures among others.

The Act placed the responsibility of compliance upon manufacturers, retailers and distributors of stuffed toys, and set penalties for those who fail to comply.

Why Is The Act Being Updated?

When the original Stuffed Toy Manufacturing Act was passed in 1961, recycled materials were not yet widely used as filling in stuffed toys. 

A memo from the three senators responsible for the new legislation explains, “As manufacturing processes have evolved and consumer preferences have changed, the use of recycled materials in stuffed toys has become more prevalent.”

The memo continues, “Using recycled materials in products is safe for consumers. Recycled material that is currently used in stuffed toys goes through the same extensive testing and safety review, and meets all current industry standards, as new material.”

Since recycled materials have been deemed safe for consumers, many states and countries have modernized their laws allowing it as a filling material. This update is an attempt to bring Pennsylvania in line with all other global stuffed toy requirements.

What Does This Legislation Mean For Manufacturers And Retailers Of Stuffed Toys?

In theory, this update to the Stuffed Toy Manufacturing Act should mean fewer compliance headaches for manufacturers and retailers of stuffed toys.

If you’re like many organizations, you’ve set sustainability goals for the product you manufacture or sell. Recycled materials are often the key to attaining those goals, as well as connecting with environmentally conscious consumers.

Pennsylvania’s updated Act will empower manufacturers and retailers to make and sell stuffed toys in the state that are filled with recycled materials, like they do throughout the rest of the United States and abroad.

Stay On The Cutting Edge Of Compliance

While there are no actions needed to comply with Pennsylvania’s updated Stuffed Toy Manufacturing Act, it’s a clear sign that it pays to stay informed about upcoming compliance legislation across the U.S.

ALL’ newsletter is the best way to stay up to date on legislation that could affect your business. Subscribe to our newsletter and let ALL keep you ahead of compliance headaches.

The post Pennsylvania Stuffed Toy Laws — Recycled Materials [Update: June 2024] appeared first on American Law Label, Inc..

The Summit is held each year in Washington, D.C. and presents an opportunity to connect in-person to discuss hot-button issues pertaining to the juvenile industry. 

Our team found the Summit to be particularly informative across several different areas. This was echoed by industry partners throughout the event — but also demonstrated by the fact that our group filled the entire meeting space and then some! 

Props to the JPMA team for a great event. If you weren’t able to attend (or forgot to take notes!) and want the highlights, check out our summary below. 

Truth In Advertising

Lesly Fair of the FTC gave a very informative presentation about Truth in Advertising. Here are some key takeaways:

• Advertisers are responsible for all claims, direct or implied, that a reasonable consumer could take from their ads. This includes claims made on social media. 
• Fine print or buried disclosures won’t fix a deceptive ad.
• Advertisers must be able to substantiate all objective claims before advertising.
• The established standards apply to all new products, new marketing media, and to promises made regarding customer service, data security, and privacy.

You can learn more about Truth in Advertising on the FTC’s website.

Juvenile Product Litigation Updates

Brandon D. Cox and Bardia Sergent of Greenburg Trauig, LLP and Jonathan Judge of ArentFox Schiff LLP provided updates regarding juvenile product litigation.

They also provided some best practices for juvenile product manufacturers: 

• Stay up to date on the latest standards and laws
• If you can, retain a lawyer or consultant
• Keep written standards and operating procedures for everything
• Keep a written record or paper trail of rationale for decision-making

If you would like to learn more we encourage you to reach out to the presenters listed below.

CPSC eFiling

Richard Rosati from Bureau Veritas led a panel that gave a comprehensive overview of CPSC eFiling and urged companies to take part in their pilot program. 

You can read more on eFiling, and request to be part of the pilot program, on the CPSC’s website.

PFAS and Chemical bans

The JPMAs State affairs representative spoke about state bans of PFAS and other chemicals in children’s products.

To learn more about PFAS, including what they are and how they will be regulated moving forward, head over to the GRS blog.

CPSC Recalls and Unilateral Press Releases

Don Mays from Product Safety Insights discussed common mistakes in product development that lead to CPSC recall and unilateral press releases and explained the 3-step design safety hierarchy. 

1. First, design out hazards. 
2. If hazards cannot be designed out, then add guards to protect against the hazards. 
3. If hazards cannot be eliminated or guarded against then add warnings to alert the user of the hazards.

And That’s A Wrap!

Here at ALL and GRS, there’s nothing we love more than attending industry events like JPMA Summit. It was a great chance to meet so many new people, and see familiar faces in our clients and industry partners.

If you have any questions about anything discussed in this article, or about stuffed article compliance for juvenile products in general, our team is here to help!

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