The slashed prices hid a wolf.
If the Chinese e-commerce platform Temu has made a place for itself on the market in record time, even shaking up the ogre Amazon, this breakthrough is not without concerns.
In particular on the use of user data and the quality of the products offered.
At the end of 2023, European toy manufacturers warned about children's items sold on this Chinese site, which is playing the card of very low prices and massive advertising investments.
Taking these warnings seriously, the Toy Industries of Europe (TIE) purchased 19 toys from the marketplace and sent them to an independent laboratory.
The results, published this Tuesday, are clear: none of them complies with European Union regulations, which means
“they should not be put on sale in the EU”
, and 18 (or 95%) present a real danger for the safety of children, according to a press release published by TIE and the French Federation of Toy and Childcare Industries (FJP).
For example, the affected toys
“may cause cuts, airway blockages, choking, strangulation, punctures and chemical hazards
,” the press release lists.
He cites the case of a
“rainbow ribbon rattle”
intended for babies, with
“sharp edges on the metal bells (...), small parts likely to cause choking, rigid protuberances which could cause injuries. airway blockages
.
Read alsoIn China, the insolent success of the Pinduoduo group (Temu) threatens the Alibaba empire
Filling “the legal void”
Contacted by the European federation TIE, Temu assured that it had
“taken measures to make these toys unavailable on their platform”
.
“Although their responsiveness is encouraging, corrective actions are not enough
,” believes TIE.
If this report only points to Temu, TIE recalls having conducted a similar study in 2020 on toys sold on the Amazon, eBay, AliExpress and Wish platforms,
“the results of which were equally worrying”
: 97% of toys purchased were not compliant with European legislation and 76% were considered dangerous for children.
TIE and the FJP therefore call on the EU
“to crack down on unscrupulous operators established outside the European Union who ignore the rules and sell dangerous toys”
.
However, the two federations are hopeful that the draft European regulation on toy safety, currently under discussion, fills
"the legal void which remains, despite the Digital Services Act and other rules, for sellers based outside of the EU”
.