Additional details are coming out about the recent McDonald's recall of 12 million promotional “Shrek” glasses due to cadmium found in the paint used for decoration. It appears that the glasses met the current Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards for cadmium content and were voluntarily recalled by McDonald's based on allegedly new cadmium regulations to be introduced by the CPSC. This situation highlights the importance of working with a promotional products distributor that is proactively taking steps to protect clients, sales representatives, and business partners from product safety issues.

It is important to know that the company who is supplying the promotional products is compliant with the CPSC and related regulations. The typical misconception is that the last person in the supply chain to “touch” the product is responsible when a safety issue arises. The end buyer points to the salesperson, the sales person to the distributor, etc. The reality is that all parties can be held liable - end buyers, salespeople, distributors, and manufacturers alike.

For this reason, Newton began enforcing a strict Code of Conduct in February of 2010. All suppliers who want to do business with Newton and our representatives and clients must stand behind the quality and safety of their products. This means the supplier’s products must comply with federal and state safety regulations include the CPSC and Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). Compliance with Newton Code of Conduct also ensures that products are produced in a socially and environmentally responsible way.

Because of our proactive approach, Newton sales representatives can assist you in choosing the right promotional products to avoid products safety issues. Our representatives will only recommend products that are compliant with Newton’s Code of Conduct, and therefore compliant with CPSC regulations.

Back in February, when tougher, new CPSIA laws were going into affect, I posted an in-depth article explaining what these regulations meant to everyone involved in the promotional products industry. I would encourage anyone to read through it for a better understand of the impact of these laws.

For more information on the CPSC or CPSIA, visit www.cpsc.gov.