After months of discussions, the Toy Safety Directive has finally been revised to better protect children against some of the most harmful chemicals in toys.
The Directive dated back to 2009 and was in dire need of an update, particularly after an evaluation showed it was not protecting children from a range of harmful chemicals found in toys, including endocrine disruptors. These chemicals can interfere with the hormone system and disturb normal processes, such as affecting children’s brain development.
The EU Commission proposed a revision in July 2023, and in 2024 the European Parliament and Council established their negotiation positions on the proposal. Negotiations on the law began in Autumn 2024, and an agreement was reached on 10th April 2025.
The agreement includes an extension of the generic restriction mechanism to endocrine disruptors, as well as bans on bisphenols and PFAS. The bans on bisphenols and PFAS were a key position of the Parliament’s negotiation team.
No more endocrine disruptors in toys
Under the new law, chemicals that have been classified as endocrine disruptors for human health (categories 1 and 2) under the Classification Labelling and Packaging Regulation (CLP) will be banned in toys. This improvement was included in the proposal of the Commission and closes a significant gap in the legislation.
This is the first piece of legislation that includes category 2 endocrine disruptors (suspected of causing endocrine disruption), which is an important and significant step towards properly protecting children’s health.
A ban on a sub-group of bisphenols
Legislators strengthened the Commission’s proposal by introducing a ban on a group of 10 bisphenols in toys. These bisphenols were identified by the European Chemicals Agency as having concerning hazardous properties and they are not covered by the extended generic restriction as they are not classified yet under the CLP Regulation.
The health impacts of certain bisphenols have been known for many years, and market testing data shows widespread use of bisphenols in toys. For example, a 2023 study by the Danish consumer organisation revealed that a broad range of bisphenols are being used in teething toys. Human biomonitoring studies have found that children in Europe are exposed to bisphenols.
The ban on the 10 bisphenols is therefore important, following a lack of action on this group of chemicals over the past few years. In 2024, the European Commission said it would investigate a potential restriction on bisphenols that impact human health, depending on the outcome of a German proposal for a restriction on certain bisphenols affecting the environment. However, the German restriction proposal was withdrawn with no clear deadline for resubmission.
A ban on the ‘forever chemicals’ PFAS
The revised law also bans the use of PFAS in toys. This measure is similar to what was decided a year ago in the revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, when EU co-legislators decided to ban PFAS in food packaging.
According to data from the draft restriction proposal on PFAS, these chemicals are used in the production of foam toys and have also been discovered in textile toys in the US. The European Chemicals Agency has collected information about PFAS presence in children’s articles such as car seats, feeding and drinking articles, bibs and other articles. Several US states have banned PFAS in toys or are working on bans. The PFAS ban in the new Toy Safety law will be overridden by the universal PFAS restriction once the latter comes into force.
The generic restriction mechanism, including the bans on PFAS and bisphenols, does not apply to batteries or electronic toy components that are fully inaccessible to children. This exemption was present in the previous version of the law and has not been modified.
Ioana Bere, EU Policy advocate said:
“This is good news for children and parents across Europe. EU legislators agreed to step up action against the most harmful chemicals in toys. It is an encouraging signal for the revision of the REACH Regulation.
We welcome that Parliament decided to act on bisphenol pollution and pressed for a ban on bisphenols in toys. We have known for decades about their endocrine disrupting effects, yet the Commission and Member States have failed to protect people.
The PFAS restriction is a step forward in the fight against the forever chemicals pollution. By restricting PFAS in toys, co-legislators have made the Toy Safety law future-proof and aligned with standards in other parts of the world.”
Next steps
The deal will have to be approved by Council and Parliament, after which it will become law. The new Toy Safety Regulation will enter into force 54 months after publication in the Official Journal of the EU. CHEM Trust urges toy manufacturers to react to the law quickly, so that children can benefit from these new protections as soon as possible.
The revision has transformed the previous law from a Directive into a Regulation, which means that Member States will no longer need to transpose it into national law.
