Product Safety Information
Product Safety Information
Product Safety Information
Safety | Manufacturing | Satisfaction Bearantee | Care | Ecology
Dear Guest,
My name is Shari Stout and I am Managing Director of Product Development at Build-A-Bear Workshop®. My responsibilities include both the development of our products and the Quality Assurance of our products.
I am also a mother of a young child and share your concerns about the safety of the toys we give our children. At Build-A-Bear Workshop, we take product safety very seriously. We recognize the great responsibility we have to provide our Guests of all ages with products that are safe.
We take many steps to assure our product safety and quality. Our products are tested and comply with ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials), EN71 (European standards) and Canadian Toy safety standards and also comply with CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) guidelines. We use independent laboratories to perform our testing evaluations. We believe that independent laboratories bring both testing expertise and objectivity to the product evaluation process. Test methodology is clearly outlined and strictly adhered to during the testing process. These policies and procedures have been in place for years.
I hope you find the information in this Quality Assurance area of our website helpful. It will walk you through our product packaging and labeling to help you make informed decisions and also explain how to care for your bear if it’s gotten a little messy or is in need of a little extra stitching. If you have further questions, please email qualityassurance@buildabear.com and one of our trained quality professionals will quickly respond.
Beary best regards,
Shari Stout
Managing Director, Bearstuff Product Development
Safety –Your safety is beary important to us
At Build-A-Bear Workshop® our stuffed animal skins and clothing are produced from high quality man-made materials or natural fibers such as cotton, and the stuffing is made of a high-grade polyester fiber.
Our products are tested through an independent third-party testing lab for compliance with toy safety standards. We comply with toy safety government requirements specific to each country where we have stores. All Build-A-Bear Workshop products must have a passing test report on record prior to shipping from our suppliers.
and made for stuffed animals and should not be used for humans or pets.
Lead Paint
Plush animals are not likely to contain lead, which is found in paint and surface coatings. Our plush animals are not surface painted and do not have screen prints on them that contain paint. In rare instances, a plush animal may have painted eyes, and in some cases our bear clothing and accessories have screen prints that could contain paint. In all cases, we take the steps to assure that our products meet or exceed all toy safety standards.
The ASTM, EN71 (European standards) and Canadian Toy Safety Regulations specifically limit lead content in products. We comply with these regulations. As such, our products must be under these limits to pass the testing requirements, and all items are tested prior to shipment.
Magnets
Build-A-Bear Workshop notifies Guests when a product contains a magnet with a magnet warning on the product packaging. In most cases, the magnets utilized in our Build-A-Bear Workshop products are embedded inside a toy (animal, scarf, plush accessory). They are not loose or easily detached as free magnets.
Packaging and Labels
You can use our packaging as a guide to safety and age play appropriateness. Packaging and labels for each product tell our Guests the age grading for the product in accordance with guidelines established by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
AGE GRADING
- Our stuffed animals are safe for children of all ages. The best bear for a child under 3 is a bare bear (undressed and totally huggable). Battery operated animals are age graded for 12+Months.
- Our clothing and accessories are marked age appropriate for children 3 and up.
WARNINGS
Where do I find warnings?
All warnings will be on the front of the package, as shown here.
What do they mean?
Manufacturing
The majority of our products (similar to the entire toy industry) including our bears, clothing and many accessories are produced in China. We have long term business relationships with a narrow supplier base which allows us to manage our factories and visit all of them to ensure the highest standards are maintained.
Our supplier factories are compliant with the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI) CARE (Caring, Awareness, Responsible, Ethical) certification, a program to promote ethical manufacturing, in the form of fair labor treatment, as well as employee health and safety, in the toy industry supply chain worldwide.
Satisfaction Bearantee
All of us at Build-A-Bear Workshop® believe that our friends are the softest, most cuddly friends anywhere. They are stuffed with love, stitched with care and backed by our 100% satisfaction bearantee. If your bear is in need of repair, just take it to any Build-A-Bear Workshop store and we’ll try to get it fixed up in a stitch. If you are not able to return to a store, please call a Bear Service Representative (toll free) 1-877-789-BEAR (2327) to receive a return label to send your bear to our Bear Repair Hospital® facility. Dr Robin will take beary good care of your furry friend and return it safely home to you.
We gladly accept returns for exchange or refund within 90 days. Please save your receipt.
If you have any questions about this bearantee please
- Email Guest.Services@buildabear.com
- Call (toll free) 1-877-789-BEAR (2327) to speak to a Bear Service Representative
- Write to Build-A-Bear Workshop
Bear Service Representative
1954 Innerbelt Business Ctr. Dr
St. Louis, MO 63114-5760
Find-A-Bear® ID program
We want you to be friends fur-ever! When you make a birth certificate you can also enter your new furry friend in our Find-A-Bear® ID program. If your furry friend is ever lost and returned to us, we can hopefully send it home to you by using the information that you provide to us.Good Housekeeping Seal of approval
In 2006, our products earned the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. The Good Housekeeping Seal, introduced in 1909 is earned by products that pass Good Housekeeping Institute review and is America’s most trusted consumer icon. It is the foremost symbol of quality assurance and consumer protection in America. Seal-backed products are covered by Good Housekeeping’s two-year money-back warranty.
Care
How do I clean my bear?
If your bear needs a spot cleaning, we offer a Bear Stuff® cleaner available in-store or on our website that you spray on and wipe with a clean cloth, air dry and then brush the cleaned area.
If your bear needs more than a spot cleaning, and does NOT contain a sound inside and is not battery operated you can place the bear inside a pillow case and knot the case closed, machine wash on gentle cycle in cold water with mild soap and let the bear air dry. If your bear does contain a sound inside you can go to a Build-A-Bear Workshop store to have the sound removed before washing.
ASTHMA FRIENDLY®
Velvet Bear and Velvet Puppy meet asthma friendly® standards according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. We manufacture these products from materials that do not contain certain chemicals and allergens known to affect asthma and allergies.
Under normal conditions of use and if these specific care guidelines are followed, this toy will not accumulate high levels of household allergens.
Recommended care includes, Wash before use and follow these instructions every four weeks:
- Place toy in freezer bag
- Place in freezer for 24 hours
- Machine wash cold (use a mild detergent when washing this toy. Do not use fabric softeners)
- Tumble dry on low (some shrinkage may occur over time)
Ecology
At Build-A-Bear Workshop we are committed to being good bears in our community and the world.
We encourage you to recycle any printed material that you may receive from us.
A majority of our printed materials, including our Cub Condo® carrying cases are printed on at least partially recycled materials. We try to print completely on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper. The FSC® label certifies that this paper was made from fibers taken from forests that meet the environmental and social standards of FSC.
We are planting over 300,000 trees with the Arbor Day Foundation thanks to the help of you, our Guests, and our associates through our Friendship Forest program.