News

A message from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC):

New safety and information standards for button/coin batteries and consumer goods containing them become mandatory on 22 June 2022. All APPA members and businesses trading within the promotional products industry must comply with these new standards.

The ACCC will be conducting surveillance of promotional products and enforcing compliance with the standards from June 2022.

Key requirements (see the mandatory standards for the full compliance requirements):

1. Products must have secure battery compartment that is resistant to being opened by young children.
2. Products must be secure and must not release the batteries during reasonably foreseeable use/misuse conditions.
3. Compliance testing must demonstrate that safety requirements have been met.
4. Safety warnings are required on packaging.

Checklist- Before you place an order (see responsible sourcing of products for further details):

All levels of the supply chain are legally responsible for product safety. When sourcing products, you should ask:

1. If the products meet all of the requirements in the button battery standards;
2. If the factory from which your products are sourced has been audited regularly to ensure that proper controls are in place;
3. For compliance test reports from the manufacturer/wholesaler, or commission your own tests (where possible) to be performed by a suitably accredited laboratory;
4. For a pre shipment inspection to be performed before the products are released for shipment.

For further information, visit the Product Safety Australia website or contact the ACCC here.

Button Batteries Fact Sheet
Button Batteries Safety Bulletin