23 April 2025
New EU Toy Safety Regulation
At Wen, we’re thrilled to see the EU stepping up to protect children from toxic chemicals in toys. The new Toy Safety Regulation is a crucial move toward healthier, safer childhoods, especially with its long-overdue action on endocrine disruptors, a ban on bisphenols and PFAS and accountability for online marketplaces.
Here in the UK, we’re seeing a worrying divergence. Our Brexit babies are at risk of growing up with weaker protections simply because of where they were born. And let’s be clear: the impacts of toxic exposure are not felt equally. Communities already facing structural inequalities—whether due to race, class or geography—are often the ones most at risk. Toy safety is not just a regulatory issue. It is a justice issue.
Through our Green Baby campaign, we’ve been calling for stronger protections, safer products and environmental justice for all families. On Green Baby Day, 11 June, we’ll be diving deeper into the issue of toxic toys, with a special focus on equity, regulation and the right to raise children in safe, healthy environments—free from harmful chemicals, no matter where they live.
We applaud the EU for raising the bar. It’s time for the UK to catch up and commit to protecting all children equally and fully.
If you’d like to be part of the Green Baby Coalition we’re building, please email ivie@wen.org.uk
