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CONNECT
decisions as a company.” She adds that the company
views product safety as part of the life cycle of a prod-
uct. “We take this subject very seriously and it is anoth-
er service that we provide to our clients and the entire
marketplace.”
“I think PPAI did an exceptional job this year on
the Product Responsibility Summit,” says Teresa Fang,
director of supplier chain management at Jetline in
Gaffney, South Carolina, and a Summit panelist. “I feel
like the quality of the experts this year was through the
roof. The content was amazing and the notebook to
take home is appreciated every year. I would highly rec-
ommend this event to anyone in the industry.”
Susan Kowelman, vice president of special projects
at distributor GatewayCDI, says, “Summit provided a
high level of interaction with some of the top product
safety experts in the U.S., including the chairman of the
Consumer Product Safety Commission. The dual focus
on product safety and social responsibility provided
added value to those attending and presented clear road
Product Responsibility Summit
keynote speaker, Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Chairman Elliot F. Kaye, became
the 10th CPSC chairman in 2014.
He addressed his audience of com-
pliance managers, procurement
specialists and promotional prod-
ucts business owners, openly and
directly for about 10 minutes and
then spent the rest of the hour-
long session answering questions
on state lead limits, online sales,
penalties, imports, future concerns
and more posed by Product
Responsibility Action Group Chair
Gene Geiger, MAS+, along with
audience members.
“I want to tell you how
impressed I’ve been of the work
PPAI does and continues to do in
the area of safety and compli-
ance,” Kaye said from the podium.
“The requirements you have in
place are incredibly impressive, the
materials are thorough, well-written
and right to the point and I can tell
you as a regulator I’m deeply
appreciative of the ownership this
association has taken on safety and
compliance. I applaud it.”
He spoke at length about two
areas of public policy in which the
agency is involved: chemical expo-
sure/consumer products (toys and
children’s items plus the flame-
retardant chemicals used in uphol-
stered furniture), and brain injury in
sports. As chairman and father to
two young boys, he expressed his
concern about both issues and
talked about what the agency is
doing to resolve them. He also
noted three areas he expects the
agency to look at in the near
future: The interaction between
wearable tech and bodies; remote
control devices that control home
appliances such as space heaters,
and products produced by 3D
printing. “This one is most chal-
lenging from regulatory perspec-
tive,” he said. “Who’s to blame for
giving away or selling a toy that is
created in someone’s home?”
When asked what misconcep-
tions the public might have about
the CPSC, he answered thoughtful-
ly. “We are all the same as you
are. We have the same problems
you do, we have kids. We just want
to have a safer world and not have
to worry about products harming
people.”
The members of the Product Responsibility Action Group are responsible for the
direction and scope of the Product Responsibility Summit.
CPSC Chairman Elliott Kaye Addresses Critical Issues
At Product Responsibility Summit