Stuffed toys made and sold in Pennsylvania may soon be allowed to be manufactured with recycled materials on the inside or out under legislation going to Gov. Josh Shapiro for enactment. Currently, only new material is allowed to be used. File/November 15, 2023. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comDan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com
Teddy bears and other stuffed animals sold in Pennsylvania may soon go green.
The state House on Monday voted 154-48 to send a bill to Gov. Josh Shapiro for enactment that would end a 63-year-old prohibition on the distribution and sale of stuffed toys made with recycled materials in this state.
A spokesman for the governor said he is expected to sign this bill into law.
Why it matters: Pennsylvania is one only three states – Ohio and Massachusetts are the others – that imposes restrictions on the the use of recyclable materials in stuffed toys made or sold in their state. If signed into law, it would enable manufacturers in Pennsylvania as well as those outside to begin to sell and distribute toys made with recycled materials here just as they can do in most other states.
The New York-based Toy Association, a trade group that represents manufacturers, retailers and licensors who do business in Pennsylvania, found the state’s law the most cumbersome and strict.
What does it change: This bill, sponsored by Rep. Jason Dawkins, D-Philadelphia, allows toys to be made with new material or recycled material for the inside or outside of stuffed toys. The material must be free of dangerous or harmful chemicals and sterilized.
Toys sold in Pennsylvania that now bear a tag that states it was made with all new material will now get a tag that along with its commonwealth registration number will say it was made with new, recycled or a combination of those materials. Also, manufacturers and importers of toys sold in Pennsylvania will be prohibited from using child labor, forced labor or slave labor in the production of stuffed toys, which was an amendment the Senate added along with requiring an annual report on stuffed toy inspections.
What people say: “I think it’s time,” said Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-Allegheny County, who introduced a similar bill in the Senate. “We want to make sure that Pennsylvania manufacturers are competitive within our own state. Everyone is moving toward recyclable materials. Everyone is trying to reduce their carbon footprint. It’s a good thing. We should be supporting Pennsylvania businesses.”
“This is really just commonsense legislation,” Dawkins said in an earlier statement. “Not only is the use of recycled materials commonplace because it is safe and the materials undergo the same extensive testing as new materials, but it also allows toy manufacturers to reach their sustainability goals and is better for the environment.”
“Toy Association members work diligently to bring new, sustainable methods to the manufacturing of their products. However, Pennsylvania’s stuffed toy law has been a burden and a hurdle to manufacturers who make stuffed toys as well as retailers who wish to sell these products,” said the association’s state government affairs director Charlotte Hickcox. “With the updating of this law manufacturers and retailers will now be able to make and sell stuffed toys with recycled material in the state ensuring kids of all ages have safe and clean stuffed toys and ensuring the toy industry stays at the forefront of innovation. We thank Rep. Dawkins and Sen. Robinson for their diligent work to bring this proposed change to reality.”
Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on X at @JanMurphy.
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