Switzerland Revises Toys Ordinance

In Switzerland, toys are regulated under Ordinance of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) on the Safety of Toys (Toys Ordinance, RS 817.023.11; French, German and Italian versions). That piece of legislation contains elements from, among other things, Directive 2009/48/EC on toy safety (Toy Safety Directive, TSD) and Annex XVII of Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (Annex XVII of REACH) for the management of chemicals.

In February 2022, Switzerland published Official Collection 2022 125 (RO 2022 125, French, German and Italian versions) to revise its Toys Ordinance. The current amendment lists the latest set of toy safety standards for presumption of conformity with the nation’s Toys Ordinance and further aligns its chemical requirements with those in the TSD. This revision contains, inter alia, several important changes:

• Amends the requirements for allergenic fragrances for consistency with Directives (EU) 2020/2088 and (EU) 2020/2089 (SafeGuardS 188/20):
  • Adds 3,7-dimethyl-2-octen-1-ol (6,7-dihydrogeraniol) (CAS 40607-48-5) to Annex 2 Part 3 Point 9a entry 10 under Chemical Properties – this list of allergenic fragrances is prohibited in toys, but their presence is allowed provided they are technically unavoidable under good manufacturing practice (GMP) and each fragrance is no more than 100 mg/kg (the ‘Prohibited List’)
  • Deletes methyl heptane carbonate (CAS 111-12-6) from Annex 2 Part 3 Point 9b Entry 10 under Chemical Properties – this list of allergenic fragrances requires their names to be listed on the toy, an affixed label, the packaging or in an accompanying leaflet if their concentrations are greater than 100 mg/kg (the Labeling List’)
• Restricts aniline in certain toys (see Table 1 below)
• Lists the latest set of toy safety standards for demonstrating compliance with the nation’s Toys Ordinance (see Table 2 below)

Table 1

Table 2

According to RO 2022 125, this latest amendment will become effective on March 15, 2022. Toys that do not comply with allergenic fragrances under Annex 2 in the latest amendment may be manufactured and imported under the previous law until March 14, 2023. These may be sold to consumers until stocks are exhausted. 

SGS offers a wide range of services to ensure that your products comply with the EU Toy Safety Directive. We offer training, safety/risk assessment, technical documentation check, labelling review, testing according to harmonized standards, SVHC screening, inspections and audits. We operate the world’s largest network of toy experts and testing facilities – around 20 toy laboratories worldwide, including 3 EU Notified Bodies (France, Germany and Netherlands). In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Contact us for more information or visit our website. 

For inquiries, please contact:

Dr. Hingwo Tsang
Global Information and Innovation Manager
t: (+852) 2774 7420

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Related Links

• SafeGuardS – Regulatory Updates
• Toys & Juvenile Products