Product Safety 

Overview
With the high profile recalls in 2007 and 2008 leading to passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which President Bush signed into law in August 2008, RILA's Board of Directors resolved to adopt a proactive stance in the product safety arena.

RILA’s approach to product safety is two-fold. First, RILA addresses legislative issues and concerns on Capitol Hill by working closely with Congress, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and other government agencies on product safety. RILA committees actively work to provide retailer input on policy issues surrounding product safety. View more information on RILA’s legislative activities.

Second, in addition to the legislative concerns, RILA also addresses operational issues in product safety. In January 2009, RILA and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) formed a partnership to establish a retail-led global product safety standard, known as the Global Standard for Consumer Products (GSCP). The BRC is the leading trade association for UK retailers and is recognized as a worldwide leader in food and product safety. The partnership advances the retail industry’s objective of complimenting existing product safety requirements by addressing safety protocols within manufacturer and supplier operations.

For more information regarding RILA's work in product safety, contact Jim Neill, vice president of product safety, at jim.neill@rila.org.