Come February, many American consumers may be asking themselves this question as they are confronted with barren store shelves. A new law (the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008) goes into effect that will require extensive 3rd party testing for lead and other chemicals of ALL PRODUCTS (handmade and manufactured) and everything that goes into them intended to be used by children under the age of 12. Clothes, toys, car seats, bicycles ... you name it. If it is intended for kids, it has to comply.

Although it's intent is spot on, it's scope is incredibly broad and its requirements are far more than a small business can afford. Moonfly, whose founder Kim is both my friend and my client, and hundreds of other ethical, American-made sellers (including EVERY seller on etsy and other handmade sites who make items for children) will be put out of business by this law. Learn more here and here.

How can our government ask these small businesses to have a complete chain of custody, certified by a 3rd party approved lab (only 17 of which exist in the US) for EVERY SINGLE SNAP, BUTTON, ZIPPER, SKEIN OF YARN, BLOCK OF WOOD, JAR OF PAINT and so on that gets used to make something and expect them to be able to continue to do business? I thought we were supposed to be creating jobs, not forcing small businesses to go bankrupt?

For me, this not only means that I have one less client for my design services in this very challenging time, it also means that I have a lot less choice when I want to buy something for my 10 year old daughter. As a parent, I completely support safe manufacturing practices, but I feel this law is going to create calamity for both ends of the equation as well as the many suppliers involved in the making of anything and associated trades like marketing, transport, and design. It needs to be amended to be workable for both the consumer, the children and the business/designer.

Both those links above have ways for you to speak out. Please look into this and make your voice heard.