Ethical Toy Program

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ICTI Ethical Toy Program (IETP)
Founded2004, New York City
Legal statusNot-for-profit organisation
PurposeImproving labor standards and enhancing workers lives in the toy industry
HeadquartersHong Kong
Key people
Carmel Giblin
(President and CEO)
Edena Low
(Co-Chair)
Alan G. Hassenfeld
(Emertitus Chair)
Websitewww.ethicaltoyprogram.org

The ICTI Ethical Toy Program (IETP) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation[1] established in 2004 to safeguard and improve ethical and sustainability standards in the global toy industry supply chain.[2]

The ICTI Ethical Toy Program oversees the Ethical Toy Program, the ethical manufacturing program for the toy industry.[3] The Ethical Toy Program is the most widespread labor and social standard in the toy industry.[4] The program is based on the ICTI Code of Business Practices.[5] It is estimated that 70% of global toy sales are covered by the Ethical Toy Program.[6]

History of the ICTI Ethical Toy Program[edit]

Working conditions in Asian toy factories in the 1990s were under intense scrutiny, most notably following the Kader Toy Factory Fire in Bangkok (Thailand), considered the worst industrial factory fire in history,[7] and a toy factory fire in Shenzhen (China) in 1993[8] which together caused more than 250 deaths.[9] As a reaction to the tragedy, the Hong Kong Toy Coalition was established and published the "Charter on the Safe Production of Toys"[10] in the mid-1990s. In this charter, the Hong Kong Toy Coalition demanded the improvement of labor, social, and safety standards in Chinese toy factories.

Following the production of the charter, larger toy brands and retailers started to create their own Codes of Conduct. Hasbro established its “Global Business Ethics Principles” in 1993, Zapf Creation a code of conduct in 1995, The Walt Disney Company its “International Labor Standards” in 1996, Mattel its “Global Manufacturing Principles” 1997, and LEGO created a code of conduct in 1997. It is estimated that there were up to 70 different standards[11] which made it difficult for toy factories to comply with varying standards and created significant amounts of duplication of auditing in factories. Therefore, an industry wide ethical manufacturing standard was called for in the toy industry.[12]

The International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI) created the Code of Business Practices in 1995.[13] In 2002 at the annual general meeting of ICTI, the member toy industry associations unanimously agreed to launch the ICTI CARE Process, a worldwide auditing process to implement the ICTI Code of Business Practices, drive convergence, and reduce duplication of social auditing in the global toy industry supply chain.

In 2004, the ICTI CARE Foundation was created as a non-profit organisation working completely independently of ICTI to oversee the ICTI CARE Process.[14]

In 2018, the organization became the ICTI Ethical Toy Program. Along with a new name, the next generation of the Ethical Toy Program was unveiled with an updated mission and strategy for the organization, a new membership model and a brand-new look and feel to deliver the changes.

Ethical Toy Program Certification Program[edit]

Ethical Toy Program is the ethical manufacturing program specifically designed for the toy industry based on the ICTI Code of Business Practices.[15]

ICTI Code of Business Practices[edit]

The ICTI Code of Business Practices, upon which the Ethical Toy Program is based, covers nine core principals:

Certification[edit]

When a factory is awarded a Seal of Compliance by the Ethical Toy Program this denotes their adherence to the Ethical Toy Program. The Ethical Toy Program offers Seals of Compliance from Class A to C depending on the maximum number of hours worked.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Chinese toy factories open summer camp for migrant workers' children". Guardian.
  2. ^ "Tech savvy: toys". Corporate Knights.
  3. ^ "Protecting Workers ICTI CARE Process". Toy Industry Association.
  4. ^ Lin-Hi, Nick (2012). "Study on the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI) CARE Process" (PDF). University of Mannheim. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  5. ^ Lin-Hi, Nick (2012). "Study on the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI) CARE Process" (PDF). University of Mannheim. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  6. ^ "Seasonal swings pile pressure on to suppliers". Financial Times.
  7. ^ Symonds, Peter (2003-05-16). "Thai toy factory fire: 10 years after the world's worst industrial inferno". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved 16 Apr 2015.
  8. ^ "Fire Ravages a Doll Factory In Southern China, Killing 81". Reuters. 20 November 1993 – via The New York Times.
  9. ^ Pangelinan, M A (1994). Lives Lost to the Overseas Toy Industry: A Call for Action; in: Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review, 16(3), S. 735– 761.
  10. ^ Ruth Pearson; Gill Seyfang; Rhys Jenkins (2013). Corporate Responsibility and Labour Rights: Codes of Conduct in the Global Economy. Routledge. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-1365-6890-9.
  11. ^ Biedermann, Reinhard (2007). Sozialstandards durch private governance Zwei-Stufen-Kooperation in der globalen Spielzeugbranche. Baden-Baden: Nomos. ISBN 978-3-8452-0126-9.
  12. ^ Lin-Hi, Nick (2012). "Study on the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI) CARE Process" (PDF). University of Mannheim. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  13. ^ Likosky, Michael (2002). Transnational Legal Processes: Globalisation and Power Disparities. Cambridge University Press. pp. 85–86. ISBN 978-0-4069-4674-4.
  14. ^ Byrne, Christopher (2016). They came to play : 100 years of the Toy Industry Association. United States: Toy Industry Association. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-692-61707-6.
  15. ^ Lin-Hi, Nick (2012). "Study on the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI) CARE Process" (PDF). University of Mannheim. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  16. ^ Lin-Hi, Nick (2012). ["https://www.woek.de/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/publikationen/fairspielt/lin-hi_2012_study_on_the_icti_care_process.pdf" "Study on the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI) CARE Process"]. University of Mannheim. {{cite journal}}: Check |url= value (help)
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