Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association Fact Sheet

Furniture World Magazine

JPMA wants all parents to be confident that the juvenile products they purchase are designed and built with baby safety in mind. For this reason, JPMA initiated a voluntary Certification Program in 1976 with the introduction of a standard for high chairs. JPMA worked with consumers, representatives from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and other interested parties to develop the standard on high chairs under the auspices of the American Society of Testing Materials, a highly regarded non-profit organization that publishes standards for materials, products, systems and services. JPMA's Certification Seal is available to manufacturers who voluntarily submit products for testing. Only after the product passes rigorous testing can it display the Certification Seal. JPMA urges all parents to look for the JPMA Certification Seal on products and packages when shopping for baby. Products currently in the Certification Program are high chairs, play yards, walkers, carriages and strollers, gates and enclosures, full-size cribs, and portable hook-on chairs. The program is being expanded to include non-full size cribs, toddler beds, bath seats and bedding products. JPMA's Certification Program received special recognition, in a historic study "The Value of Associations in American Society," for advancing public safety, health and product quality. JPMA sponsors Baby Safety Month each September to help educate parents and other child care givers on the safe selection and use of all baby products. Retail Outlets and the media use Baby Safety Month to increase consumer awareness about baby safety. JPMA's Directory of Certified Products is available to retailers. The directory lists the manufacturers, products and model numbers of products bearing the JPMA Certification Seal. It is updated twice a year. The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, Inc. (JPMA) is a national industry association representing 95% of the $4.23 billion juvenile products industry. JPMA was formed in 1962 with 29 industry companies and has grown to include 253 member companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico. These companies manufacture and/or import infant products such as cribs, car seats, strollers, bedding, lamps, and a wide range of accessories and decorative items. The primary goal of JPMA is to develop consumer education programs related to product safety. To that end, more than 20 years ago, JPMA established a voluntary Certification Program. JPMA publishes Safe & Sound For Baby, a 20-page brochure, to promote baby product use and safety. The brochure outlines safety measures for the home and car that will help ensure baby's safety and is available in English and Spanish. More than 2.5 million copies of the complimentary brochures have been distributed to consumers. JPMA sponsors the International Juvenile Products Show, the industry's leading trade exhibition, each year in Dallas. Thousands of buyers from around the world attend the show. In 1997, Tradeshow Week ranked the show 74 out of the 200 largest trade shows in the United States. JPMA is actively involved with the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Alliance and Kids In Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.), two national charities. K.I.D.S. is a charity of the juvenile, toy, shoe and childrenswear industries which encourages manufacturers to donate new merchandise for distribution to needy children around the world. JPMA executive officers are: George Harris, chairman (Evenflo), Jon Reynolds, vice chairman (Cosco), Katherine Gold, treasurer (Gold Bug), William L. MacMillan, CAE, president, Robert B. Waller Jr., CAE, executive vice president, and Kathleen M. Baier, public relations director. JPMA provides a strong, collective industry presence through the support of a board of directors and established committees to promote charity and scholarship activity, international trade, legislative action and public relations.