Consumer Product Safety

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A Market Without Borders – But With Many Regulators

The U.S. pet industry is booming — an estimated $158 billion market in 2024 — and that growth is equally pronounced overseas. Yet unlike well-established frameworks governing human consumer products, pet products occupy a fragmented international regulatory landscape. For companies that manufacture or sell pet products internationally, understanding that landscape is more important than ever.

Continue Reading Pet Products in the Global Arena: What International Regulators Are Watching

The recent listing of microplastics as a “Candidate Chemical” under California’s Safer Consumer Products (SCP) regulations signals that future regulation of products containing microplastics will likely occur under the SCP program. But the listing may also trigger more imminent obligations under AB 1200 for cookware manufacturers and others. Click here to read the full version…

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) that could significantly reshape the micromobility industry. The CPSC issued the NPR to address what it describes as an “unreasonable risk of death and injury” associated with lithium-ion batteries used in micromobility products, including risks tied to thermal runaway that can lead to fires, explosions, gas releases, burns, overheating, and smoke inhalation. If finalized, the rule would impose mandatory safety requirements on a wide range of popular consumer products — from e-bikes to hoverboards.

Continue Reading CPSC’s Proposed Micromobility Rule Could Reshape the E-Bike and E-Scooter Industry: What Manufacturers and Retailers Need to Know About Lithium-Ion Battery Safety Requirements

Register now to join Crowell attorneys Warren Lehrenbaum and Amy Symonds, along with guest speaker Ashish Deshmukh, Principal of Product Safety and Stewardship, Environment & Health at Ramboll, as they examine the rapidly evolving landscape of PFAS regulations and what they mean for companies that manufacture, import, sell, or distribute products containing PFAS materials. With overlapping federal and state compliance obligations now imminent, this session will provide actionable guidance to help companies determine whether they are impacted and how to meet their obligations. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT.

Continue Reading Save the Date: Webinar on Critical Reporting and Labeling Requirements for Products Containing PFAS: What Companies Need to Know (and DO) Now!

Navigating a Shifting Landscape 

The U.S. pet industry is booming—an estimated $143.6 billion market in 2023, with over 152 million American households that own at least one pet. Alongside this growth, however, comes increasing scrutiny regarding the safety of pet products. Recent high-profile incidents, such as Petmate’s nationwide recall of Pet Zone pet toys due to non-compliant button cell batteries, have highlighted not only the risks to pets and households, but also the potential for significant financial and reputational harm to companies.  

Continue Reading Pet Product Regulation May be Nipping at the Heels 

PFAS compliance in cosmetics has become a critical and growing legal risk for beauty and personal care companies, driven by an expanding patchwork of state bans across 14+ jurisdictions and increasingly sophisticated consumer class action litigation that companies must address proactively rather than reactively. Click here to continue reading the full version of this alert.

When a consumer safety complaint arises, having the right procedures in place can make all the difference in minimizing legal and regulatory exposure. This cross-functional checklist is designed to help legal, compliance, engineering, manufacturing, customer service, and marketing teams stay aligned, act decisively, and respond with confidence when a potential product safety issue emerges.

Continue Reading Is Your Company Prepared? A Checklist for Responding to Consumer Safety Complaints  

A new lawsuit alleging that major gaming platforms deliberately use psychological techniques to addict minors reflects a broader litigation trend in video games and mirrors social media addiction cases already yielding significant jury verdicts. Click here to continue reading the full version of this alert.

Day 4 marked the close of the ICPHSO 2026 Annual Meeting & Training Symposium in Orlando, Florida following a jam-packed week of education, exploration, and meaningful dialogue about the future of product safety and regulatory compliance in the U.S. and beyond. The day began with the traditional passing of the gavel to welcome incoming ICPHSO president Dani Cugini while acknowledging and celebrating the accomplishments of outgoing President Chris Harvey.  

Then, in a first ever for ICPHSO, participants were thrust into the Courtroom for a mock-trial experience, giving many product safety professionals their first inside look at the complexities and challenges of litigating safety and products liability issues. Crowell’s “court reporter,” Sean Ward, was on the scene with a riveting recap of all the action. As court was called to recess, Day 4’s short program concluded with a series of plenary sessions highlighting the consumer perspective and the need for inclusive and proactive safety solutions that recognize the dynamic challenges faced by vulnerable populations and ensure accessibility to safety information for all. 

Below is a closer look at select sessions from the final day of ICPHSO 2026. 

Continue Reading Day 4 of the ICPHSO Symposium: Courtroom Drama & Consumer Voices  

Innovation is a word that carries real weight in product safety. Is there an emerging “duty to innovate” — a duty to proactively adopt feasible, safer technologies — or is innovation simply a good practice that may also reduce risk? That is exactly what a panel of industry and legal professionals tackled at this year’s ICPHSO Annual Meeting & Training Symposium, with the goal of surfacing a practical toolkit for product safety professionals on when to push innovation, how to document feasibility and tradeoffs, and how to navigate regulatory momentum without stalling products that should go to market.

The panel brought together four voices with rare depth across law, engineering, and corporate governance: Kyran Hoff of GE Appliances, Meghan McMeel of Crowell & Moring, John McNulty of Google LLC, and moderator George Wray of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP.

Here are the four key themes that shaped the conversation.

Continue Reading Is There a Duty to Innovate? Key Takeaways From ICPHSO’s Most Timely Panel