Why Do We Carry Products Made in China?

Over time, and through years of product research, we've come to feel that the problem with product safety really has less to do with where the product is manufactured, and more to do with the company developing and producing the product. The U.S. has fallen asleep at the wheel in regards to looking at our own chemical policies. We're the ones producing the $6 billion in BPA and providing for use in China.

After speaking at length with concerned customers, we believe there is a misconception that all products made in China are toxic. Having said that, it is not our first choice to sell products made outside the U.S., but many manufacturers have no choice because of production costs. For example, the creators of the Safe Sippy searched endlessly to find an American based company. They repeatedly came away unsuccessful, with outrageous quotes for one lonely sippy cup, making it completely cost-prohibitive. So many companies are forced to choose manufacturing plants in other countries. In our view, the real question is whether the company has made a commitment to ensuring high quality and appropriate working conditions in factories or not.

We make each decision to offer a product based on our knowledge of an individual company. If we made a blanket decision not to carry products made in China, we would not be able to offer any stainless steel options, nor at least 80% of all baby/children's eating gear. We would not be able to offer well-known, high quality products by upstanding companies like Klean Kanteen, Think Sport or Kid Basix. At this point in time, there is not a SINGLE stainless steel bottle or sippy cup made in the U.S. or Canada.

HealthyToys.org offers a great explanation of their findings when testing products made in both China and the U.S. in their FAQ:

Q: Are toys made in the USA safer than those made in other countries?

A: Eighty percent of all toys are made in China. Therefore, the majority of toys that we tested are also from China. However, consumers cannot automatically assume that products made in the U.S. do not contain chemicals of concern. Beyond the lead paint restriction, there are no mandatory rules to regulate what can or cannot be used in children's products in the U.S., and no disclosure requirements on toxic chemicals in toys.

The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) also discusses the issue clearly in their FAQ regarding Lead in Baby Bibs:

Q: My baby’s bib (or toy, etc.) was made in China. Is it safe?

A: The fact that your item was made in China does not make it unsafe. We’ve found many lead-free toys, bibs, and other items that were made in China. We’ve also found lead-contaminated products that were made in the United States. The only way to know if your items are contaminated with lead is to test them.

Why are there so many dangerous Chinese products? What can we do about this?

Huge retailers in our country are always cutting costs. They insist that their foreign and American manufacturers make products as cheaply as possible. This economic pressure favors dangerously cheap production at the expense of consumer safety. Retailers will tell you that they are simply responding to pressure from the American consumer who demands low prices. There are many things you can do about this: support small local businesses, write to the big retailers and urge them to protect consumer health, write to the Consumer Product Safety Commission and urge it to live up to its name. You can also support organizations like Center for Environmental Health.