EU baby carrier recalls and trends
Where to find information about European non-food product recalls
Safety Gate is the website the European Union uses to share product safety and recall information efficiently with the general public, including EU baby carrier recalls.
The European Commission says this about the website:
The Safety Gate system enables that information on measures taken against non-food dangerous products is circulated quickly among the national authorities responsible for product safety in the Single Market countries.
Every day, national authorities send alerts to the Safety Gate. Each alert contains information on the kind of product detected as dangerous, a description of the risk and the measures taken by the economic operator or ordered by the authority. Every alert is followed-up by the other authorities, which take their own measures if they find the same product in their own national markets.
Other countries have the obligation to follow up this information and if they find the same product on their own markets, they have to share this information on Safety Gate as well.
European Commission Website
Germany initiated all EU baby carrier recalls in 2023
Safety Gate has detailed information about each product recall, including the initiating country. Germany was the initiating country for all 20 EU baby carrier recalls in 2023.
As explained above, other EU members have an obligation to also recall any product found in violation when sold in their country.
Other trends in EU baby carrier recalls
In all cases where the recalled baby carrier’s country of origin was noted, the origin was listed as “People’s Republic of China.”
None were known to be counterfeit products.
All recalls were due to the fact the products do not comply with the European standard for Baby Carriers, EN 13209-2.
Fall hazards were the primary safety hazard cited in the EU baby carrier recalls.
EU baby carrier recalls were primarily for products sold on Amazon and E-Bay
In the Safety Gate reports, the majority of carriers were noted specifically as being sold either on Amazon or on E-Bay.
This trend aligns with a global trend where regulators are focusing on Amazon and similar platforms. Around the world, we are seeing efforts to hold these megacorporations responsible for ensuring that the products sold on their platforms comply with all relevant laws and regulations.
We expect to see this pressure continue, and in response, we expect to see platforms such as Amazon and Ebay increase their oversight of consumer products. We expect high-risk categories such as durable nursery products, which includes baby carriers and baby slings, to be a high priority when these companies conduct compliance audits.
The newly released 2023 Safety Gate Annual Report highlights the Product Safety Pledge+, signed by 11 popular online marketplaces.
BCIA members not among recalled products
The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance was first formed in order to help small, independent baby sling, wrap, and carrier manufacturers understand and comply with all laws and regulations around the world.
Although we provide a wide range of products and services, we especially pride ourselves on the compliance support we offer our members.
BCIA supports our members in complying with laws and regulations
Members stay up-to-date with changes to the rules and regulations around the world through our member newsletters, online member community, monthly roundtable calls, and a variety of other resources that we provide.
This helps ensure that our manufacturer members sell safe products that are in compliance with regional laws and regulations, and can avoid being subject to product recalls such as these.
Members who are importers, resellers, or operate retail stores likewise have confidence that they know what is required of them for due diligence when selecting baby carriers for their stores.
And our educator and other members can rest assured that they have the information they need to ensure they are recommending safe, compliance products in the work they do.
As the agencies tasked with overseeing consumer products receive increased funding, and scrutiny of children’s products continues to grow, we expect that your BCIA membership will become even more valuable in helping you navigate these rules and regulations.
Complete list of EU baby carrier product recalls
We’ve compiled all the data from Safety Gate into a convenient spreadsheet for our members.
We recommend reviewing product recalls and any other known product hazards each year as part of a robust compliance plan.
Want to learn more?
Recently, we shared a blog post, “Baby carrier manufacturers should prepare for increased children’s product recalls in Europe” as well as recall trends in the US and Canada. You may wish to start there to learn more about recall trends in Europe, or check out our resources page.
Read the 2023 Safety Gate Annual Report, disclosed on March 14, 2024
