bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Toh Han Shih

An association representing toymakers will audit Hong Kong and mainland manufacturers from next month to ensure their operations comply with the group's labour standards in areas  such as workplace safety and working conditions.

The move comes amid pressure from international toymakers who fear unwanted publicity or boycotts from human rights groups  because of the practices of their suppliers.

It will also help eliminate overlapping labour guidelines set by international toy companies and the multiple audits the lack of a unified set of standards has produced.

Companies will be audited to ensure their compliance with codes set by the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI), an association representing toymakers.

According to ICTI president David Hawtin, Hong Kong and mainland toymakers will be audited first because they account for 70 per cent of the world's toy production.

Auditors appointed by the ICTI will check to make sure manufacturers meet the group's code  on specifics such as working hours per week, wages and overtime pay  and that no one under the age 14 is employed in toy manufacturing.

'People do not want to see a child play with a toy made by another child,' said Samson Chan, chairman of the Hong Kong Toys Council.

Hong Kong and  the mainland export  $130 billion worth of toys annually, with about $70 billion of that coming from Hong Kong companies. Toys are Hong Kong's third-largest industry after textiles and electronics.

Mr Hawtin said the ICTI's code of practices had been adopted by toy retailers in the United States, Australia and Britain,  and they required their suppliers to comply with it.

'Once Hong Kong and Chinese firms are certified [as following the labour practices], customers around the world will be more comfortable in buying products from them,' said Mr Chan, who is also chairman of Manley Toys. 'If my company doesn't adopt this code, we cannot do business with the major retailers.'

Previously, there was no single industry-wide code of practice for toymakers to follow, just multiple and varying guidelines set by various large toy companies who performed their own audits.

T.S. Wong, managing director of Hong Kong toymaker Jetta, said a unified global code would help eliminate overlapping guidelines and multiple audits.

Mr Chan  pointed out one Hong Kong toy company had been audited 53 times a year - an expensive, onerous and time-consuming process.  Under the ICTI code,  audits would be undertaken just once a year.

Accreditation of code auditors would be completed in a few weeks, Mr Hawtin said.

About 240  leading toymakers in Hong Kong and the mainland would be audited this year and next, Mr Chan said.

There are an estimated 4,000 Hong Kong-owned toy factories on the mainland, plus another 10,000 run by other owners.



Association unveils comprehensive audits for toymakers