Independent testing proves Holeys shoes are safe for children
October 16, 2009
Tests at separate and independent accredited laboratories prove that Canada-based Holeys shoes are safe. Although current EU standards for phthalates refer specifically to toys and childcare articles that children can put in their mouths, Holeys has strived to ensure that its footwear meet these standards. The Denmark and European Union (E.U.) standards currently do not apply to shoes.
“These tests confirm that Holeys’ quality control and safety program is working’, stated Holeys President and CEO Joyce Groote, former Geneticist and champion of scientific rigor and safety. “All of us at Holeys are sensitive to health and safety issues, especially where children are concerned. Many of our staff are parents who believe that Holeys must be a good steward of health and the environment.”
“Holeys recently became aware that the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tested a single shoe of one of our discontinued lines, the Explorer.” Added Groote, ”The results from that one shoe are inconsistent with the multiple independent tests performed by accredited Intertek Laboratories and CIQ Laboratories which confirm that Holeys’ shoes of all styles are safe.” Earlier independent test results showing no phthalates in this discontinued model of shoe were published in 2008 by OKO-TEST, a German consumer magazine. (Copies of all of these test results are attached).
Ms Groote noted that: “Holeys no longer makes the type of shoe that the EPA tested. But because we take health concerns seriously, we had all of our products re-tested at independent labs as recently as June and again in September 2009. The results show that phthalate levels are well under the EU-established limits for toys and childcare articles that children may put in their mouths.”
“We are confident our products are safe for children, and we will remain vigilant to ensure that our products are safe for all our valued customers,” states Groote.
“We applaud the Danish EPA for its proactive stance,” added Ms Groote. “Because many of the materials used in our shoes are becoming widely used in fashion and high performance footwear, we encourage the EPA and the Danish Ministry of Health and Prevention to promote development of uniform international standards and testing protocols for all footwear. We at Holeys would be pleased to assist in that work.”
Phthalates are a group of chemical compounds mainly used to soften certain plastics. Examples of products containing these chemicals are artificial leathers, electrical cables and certain packaging.
Holeys is a family-owned company based in Vancouver, Canada. Holeys manufactures a wide range of lifestyle products. Holeys is committed to a quality control program of which testing remains a key component to providing safe and high quality products.
Contact: Joyce Groote, CEO, Holeys (joyce@holeys.com) www.holeys.com
Phthalates in Footwear
Phthalates are a group of chemical compounds used in the production of plastics to make them softer and more flexible. When present in consumer products, phthalates can be released because they are not chemically bound to the plastics. This may lead to human exposure, which has raised some public concern. The potential health issues are related to oral exposure by eating products containing phthalates. Many different phthalates exist with different properties, uses and health effects.
The European Union restricts the use of several phthalates in toys and childcare articles1 which can be placed in the mouth by children. Six phthalates are restricted in this type of toy/article: di-iso nonyl phthalate (DINP), di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-iso-decyl phthalate (DIDP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP), butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). Footwear is not covered by the EU restrictions. Footwear is specifically excluded from similar phthalate restrictions that are under consideration in North America.
Although phthalates in footwear are not restricted, Holeys has conducted a series of tests on our products to ensure that they are well within the allowable limits for products which can be ingested. All of our tests have shown that our products easily meet the requirements and that they are safe.
In December 2007, a German consumer magazine (OKO-TEST) tested a series of foam footwear, including Holeys, and found that ours did not contain any phthalates. The laboratory results were published in their July 2008 newsletter.
In August 2009, Holeys was informed by the Danish Ministry of Environment that they had conducted tests on a single Explorer shoe in our Hopper size (US kids 6/7 EU size 23/24). The laboratory results showed DBP in higher concentrations than are allowable for toys and childcare articles that can be placed in the mouth by children. Holeys immediately retested samples of our Explorer style as well as testing all of our other styles to verify the DBP content. We sent these products for testing to a different laboratory (Intertek) that is accredited by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. The results showed that all Holeys products, including the Explorer style, were well within the European 0.1% limit for toys and childcare articles that can be placed in the mouth by children. Three independent laboratories have now been unable to duplicate the Danish findings.
Note 1: Definition of “Childcare article” in the EU Directive: “any product intended to facilitate sleep, relaxation, hygiene, the feeding of children, or sucking on the part of children”.
More information is available from the following sites:
US Consumer Product Safety Commission Letter on Phthalates in Footwear
http://www.apparelandfootwear.org/letters/CPSCphthalatesresponse.pdf
Official Journal of the European Union
http://www.dbp-facts.com/upload/documents/document34.pdf
Phthalates Information Center Europe
American Apparel and Footwear Association
Product Safety Standards Matrix
http://www.apparelandfootwear.org/Publications/introductionstandardsmatrix111008.pdf
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