IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 5, 2007

CONTACT: Meghan Scott
(202) 721-8014


Groups to Call for Toy Safety Hearings into Recalled Chinese-Made Goods Sold at Wal-Mart

Parents Across the Country Are Making Their Lists and Checking the Label Twice Before Buying from Wal-Mart, the #1 Importer of Chinese Products


Washington, DC – In the wake of a recent wave of toy recalls, WakeUpWalMart.com in conjunction with leading consumer and environmental groups, and Wal-Mart Watch today sent a letter to Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), asking him, as chair of the Subcommittee on Interstate Commerce, Trade & Tourism, to call for hearings on Wal-Mart’s pressure on Chinese suppliers.

More than 70 percent of goods on Wal-Mart shelves come from China, making it the #1 importer of Chinese products. If it were a country, the retail giant would be China’s sixth largest trading partner, ahead of Germany and England.

The world’s largest retailer also controls roughly one-third of America’s toy market, making it the number one seller of toys in the United States. Wal-Mart is the #1 customer for each of the four companies that have issued major toy recalls in 2007. These four companies -- Mattel, Hasbro, RC2 Corporation, and Graco - have recalled a combined 13 million toys in the past 10 months.

“Wal-Mart has long had the economic power and a unique responsibility to demand stricter safety standards of its Chinese suppliers,” said Meghan Scott, spokesperson for WakeUpWalMart.com, which has more than 405,000 members across the country. “Instead, Wal-Mart has continually put its bottom line ahead of our children’s safety. When huge retailers, like Wal-Mart, force suppliers to cut costs, they cut corners, and this holiday season, American families are paying the price.”

Leading parent, consumer, and environmental groups have signed on to the letter, asking Senator Dorgan to take a careful look at how Wal-Mart’s narrow focus on the bottom line may be contributing to the recent explosion of unsafe products that threaten our children’s safety.

"Wal-Mart should no longer be allowed to use its political power to shift blame to suppliers and avoid taking responsibility for its role in the massive toy recalls," said David Nassar, Wal-Mart Watch Executive Director. “Our nation's current toy safety issues are a direct result of Wal-Mart's relentless demands on suppliers to cut costs at any price, putting our children at risk."

"The National Consumers League believes that intense pressure from toy retailers like Wal-Mart to continually shave costs on the manufacturing side may have contributed to the diminished quality and safety of the toys that American consumers buy,” said Sally Greenberg, head of the National Consumers League. “We urge Congress to take a closer look at this issue and consider what can be done to protect consumers, especially children, from the consequences of this relentless pressure on toy manufacturers."

Read the letter to Senator Dorgan