Why do products need a  CE mark?

The European Single Market was created in 1992,  allowing companies free access to markets throughout the European Economic Area, without having to meet particular local requirements such as safety testing regulations.

In order to do this The European Parliament developed a series of directives.

The initials "CE" do not stand for any specific words but by fixing the mark to a product, and signing a Declaration of Conformity, a declaration is made by the manufacturer that the product meets the requirements of all the Directives which apply to it.

The onus is very much on the manufacturer to take responsibility for this actually being true. Marking a product which is not fully in accordance with the requirements of the applicable directives is an offense in its own right, and would also contravene related consumer safety and trades descriptions legislation.

So what about the products we sell that do not have a CE mark?

The directive that applies to most of the products we sell is The Toy Safety Directive.  The Regulations define a toy as:

‘any product or material designed or clearly intended for use in play by children of less than 14 years of age.'

We are satisfied that the children's craft kits, gifts and supplies we have decided to sell without a CE mark are not classified as toys by this definition. We try to offer craft products aimed at variety of ages and therefore trust in the discretion of our customers to assess whether a child is old enough for a particular item, and to ensure it is used in a safe, appropriate and sensible way. 

The European Directive is under revision and The Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) is taking an active role in the discussions on the revision.  You can find out more about the Toy Safety Directive and CE marks at that website.Take me to the BERR website now.