PRESS RELEASE
Embargoed until 00:01 Wednesday 11 June 2025 BST
For further information contact Kate Beard at Wen on 07950585284 or kate.beard@wen.org.uk.
UK a dumping ground for toxic toys’ experts warn, as EU bans harmful chemicals in toys
Environmental charity Wen (Women’s Environmental Network) warns that the UK is fast becoming a regulatory dumping ground for toxic toys, as the EU is set to implement new bans on toxic chemicals, including EDCs (Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals), PFAS and Bisphenols, in children’s toys*.
On Green Baby Day (11 June) Wen is calling for immediate UK government action to align with the EU’s strengthened rules, which will formally be adopted in the coming weeks, and protect children from toxic exposures linked to developmental, hormonal and long-term health risks.
Ivie Itoje, Wen’s Green Baby Programme Manager, says:
“Toys sold in the UK are slipping through the cracks of outdated post-Brexit rules. While the EU acts to remove some of the most dangerous substances from children’s environments, our own laws lag behind. Online marketplaces remain poorly regulated, and cheaper imports continue to expose children – particularly those in lower-income households – to health risks associated with toxic chemicals like EDCs (Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals), PFAS and Bisphenols. Our own regulation should be brought in line with the new EU Toy Regulation as a minimum.”
Over 500 toy recalls have been issued in the UK since 2021 – more than half classed as serious – with repeated safety breaches involving toxic plasticisers.**
Wen’s new briefing, ‘Playing Safe’, outlines how 80 percent of cheaply made toys sold through major third-party platforms often fail to meet basic health and safety standards***. Children are particularly vulnerable to chemical exposure due to their physiology and play – including hand-to-mouth contact and organs that are still developing, making early-life exposure a critical environmental health issue.
Consultant Obstetrician Dr Karen Joash, who supports the campaign, says:
“We now understand just how much early environmental exposures affect long-term health – from fertility to cancer risk. These chemicals don’t belong in our children’s lives, and yet families are unknowingly bringing them into their homes through toys they assume are safe. The science is clear. The regulatory path forward should be too.”
Wen’s Green Baby Campaign, now in its third year, highlights how environmental inequalities intersect with class and race. Children from marginalised communities are disproportionately exposed to hazardous toys due to cost and reduced access to safe alternatives.
Dr Anna Watson Director of Policy and Advocacy, CHEM Trust says:
“The EU’s move to ban groups of harmful substances such as forever chemicals, bisphenols and other endocrine disrupting chemicals in toys reflects the growing scientific consensus and the need for action. Without parallel UK measures, children in the UK will be playing with toys considered too unsafe for children in neighbouring countries to play with. CHEM Trust is calling for the UK government to match the EU toy regulation to protect the health of our children.”
Wen is calling for:
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A UK ban on EDCs (Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals), PFAS and Bisphenols, in line with the new EU rules
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Stronger enforcement of third-party online sellers and imports
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Clearer safety information for parents and carers including a Digital Product Passport like the EU is proposing
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Environmental justice at the heart of UK chemicals policy
Itoje continues:
“The UK risks becoming a warehouse for unsafe toys banned elsewhere. We need political will to close this post-Brexit health gap – before Britain’s Brexit Babies pay the price.”
Wen’s ‘Playing Safe’ briefing and ‘Toxic-Free Toy Guide’, developed by WECF, are available at: www.wen.org.uk/greenbaby
Green Baby Day takes place on Wednesday 11 June 2025. Join the campaign: #ToxicFreeToysNow | #GreenBabyDay
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Notes to editors:
Wen is the Women’s Environmental Network, a UK charity working at the intersection of gender, health, and environmental justice.
The Green Baby Campaign calls for a sustainable, toxic-free future, empowering parents and carers to make safe, healthy, eco-friendly, and affordable choices. The campaign advocates for effective regulation of toxic chemicals and educates people on ways to minimise their exposure.
*The EU’s new toy safety regulation (2024-2025) introduces bans on EDCs (Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals), PFAS and Bisphenols, and holds online marketplaces accountable for safety compliance. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1039
**In the UK, 500+ toy product alerts have been issued since 2021, 271 of them rated as “serious” (source: UK Product Safety Alerts and Recalls).
***80% of toys bought from third-party traders on online marketplaces fail EU safety standards and could be a danger to children (source: Toy Industries Europe research)
Real-World examples of toxic toys
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2018: An online retailer was fined for selling children’s slime with toxic boron levels
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2019: The European Commission reported that 127 out of 248 toy models blocked from sale across the EU contained illegal levels of phthalates – a group of chemicals used to soften plastics. While specific UK recalls were not detailed,
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2021: Testing of imported toys in the UK found unsafe levels of lead in painted toys
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2022: Levels of lead and formaldehyde found in bamboo baby plates
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2024: Black plastic used for toys found to contain banned flame retardants.
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2025: Plastic PVC toys bought in Kenya contained high levels of toxic chemicals
Play it safe – what parents can do today
How to choose safer toys:
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Look for materials like FSC-certified wood and GOTS-certified organic cotton
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Check labels for UKCA, OEKO-TEX®, and GOTS certifications
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Avoid toys with strong chemical smells, cheap plastic, or peeling paint
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Limit second-hand plastic toys from before 2013 especially if damaged
Take action:
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Report unsafe toys to your local Trading Standards – https://www.tradingstandards.uk/consumer-help/
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Share the Wen/ WECF Toys Guide with your parenting network
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Support ethical, inclusive toy brands that don’t reinforce gender or racial stereotypes
Green Baby Day webinar event
Playing Safe: Why toys shouldn’t cost our children’s health
Wednesday 11 June 2025 12:00PM – 1:15PM
Wen is hosting a free webinar event on Green Baby Day to explore the hidden dangers in children’s toys, and what we can do to protect all children. Discussions will also explore the intersections of toxic toys, health, race, class and environmental justice.
Speakers:
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Dr Karen Joash, Consultant Obstetrician
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Dr Anna Watson, Director of Policy and Advocacy, CHEM Trust
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Africa (Vitamin D Project), author, parent and conscious content creator
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Moderated by: Ivie Itoje, Wen’s Green Baby Programme Manager
For more information and to book your free place: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/womensenvironmentalnetwork/1706107
