The Toy Safety Regulation: A pivotal step in the EU’s marathon towards a toxic-free future

By agreeing to the revised Toy Safety Regulation in April 2025, the European Union has taken an important step in protecting children’s health. However, a long road lies ahead - as many promises from the EU’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability are pending and could still be under threat. How can we work to ensure that children in the EU are protected against harmful exposure?

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Celebrating a milestone

In April 2025, EU institutions agreed on revising the Union’s rules on toy safety, strengthening children’s protection against harmful chemicals such as forever pollutants, certain bisphenols and other endocrine disrupting substances found in toys sold in the EU market.

The Toy Safety Regulation marks a major step forward for children’s rights in the European Union. This revised EU law is a game-changer for chemical safety in toys. For years hazardous substances like endocrine disruptors (EDCs) have posed a silent threat to children’s health. With this revision, the EU is taking a science-driven approach to eliminate harmful substances from the European market, thereby reducing children’s exposure to dangerous chemicals.

Changes include stricter chemical limits, broader restrictions and better enforcement. Among other key measures, the regulation reinforces chemical safety standards. It expands existing bans on carcinogenic, mutagenic and reproductive toxic (CMR) substances to more hazards, including endocrine disruptors. Notably, the amendment also prohibits the use of certain bisphenols and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (or PFAS, also known as ‘forever pollutants’, which can take hundreds to thousands of years to break down in the environment).

To bolster its enforcement, the regulation further mandates the introduction of Digital Product Passports (DPPs) for toys sold within the EU. These digital records will contain detailed compliance information, facilitating market surveillance and customs inspections.

Worrying bumps in the road

While the improvement to toy safety rules is a pivotal measure, the new text has a notable fault. There is a staggeringly long transition period granted to the industry before it must comply with new obligations. The Regulation will enter into force 54 months after its publication – meaning that EU companies have until the winter of 2029 to fully comply with EU rules. Rather than skirting their responsibilities until the final deadline, companies should use this timeframe wisely. They should be responsible and avoid the use of harmful chemicals by already moving towards safer alternatives.

Moreover, the Toy Safety Regulation is only one piece in a larger toxic-free puzzle. Other key pieces are still missing as EU institutions are stalling or even backpedalling on their promises. There have been severe delays and undermining attempts across the EU in delivering on toxic-free policies. The EU’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) has set up a great action plan for the EU – promising a detoxified environment and better protecting citizens' health; yet, several years later, critical CSS pieces like the revision of REACH and the PFAS restriction are either being held up or undermined. This is all despite strong scientific evidence and public demand. The EU is watering down its initial ambitions.

Reforming chemicals legislation in the EU has and still unfortunately feels like running a marathon. It is a long and demanding process, full of uphill battles. The Toy Safety Regulation is a significant milestone – almost like a water station a runner sees three-quarters of the way through a race. It’s a relief for those of us working for a future free of hazardous chemicals, but the finish line is still ahead – and it’s more important than ever for us to push forward.

The final stretch

Despite the obstacles, the final stretch of a race is where champions are made. It’s where resolve is tested, where fatigue must give way to purpose. Delays are no longer an option. Children continue to face daily exposure to harmful substances.

The EU must not slow down, but accelerate its pace in protecting children’s health.

Key next steps include:

Strengthening the regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH): An ambitious revision of REACH is essential to closing loopholes and ensuring that all hazardous substances are efficiently and comprehensively restricted from consumer, professional and industrial uses.

Completing the PFAS ban: The EU’s upcoming restriction on PFAS must be robust, wide-ranging, and adopted and implemented as swiftly as possible to prevent severe and irreversible impacts, especially on children’s health and development.
Ending EU exports of prohibited products and substances to non-EU countries: The EU must stop exporting harmful products and substances that are banned within its own borders. Sending those products abroad undermines the EU’s commitment to human rights, and continues to put children’s health at risk. A horizontal export ban is a clear, necessary step to protect children everywhere and set a global standard for their safety.
Embedding transparency, access to information and justice into every regulation: Ambitious legislation must be matched with effective market surveillance, accessible public information, access to justice to affected communities and individuals, as well as strong penalties for companies’ non-compliance.

Beyond the racecourse

The Toy Safety Regulation shows that under their new mandates the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU are capable of working collaboratively to achieve much-needed protections against harmful chemicals.

This ambitious revision is a reminder of how much the European Union can do to safeguard its citizens, including children. This commitment to human rights will also be needed for the forthcoming discussions on several EU chemicals laws. The EU must stay the course and deliver on its promises to ensure that children are protected against harmful chemicals across all its products and sectors – in Europe and abroad.

Together with peer organisations and coalitions, CRIN will continue to push for chemical safety legislation that fully upholds children’s rights, protecting their health and guaranteeing environmental justice in the EU and beyond.

Let’s celebrate this progress together and continue to advocate for safer, smarter and stronger chemical regulations worldwide.

This is not just about safer toys – it’s about shaping a toxic-free present and future for everyone.