Australia recently issued Notification G/TBT/N/AUS/158 at the WTO, formulating the Consumer Goods (Tip - prone Furniture) Information Standard (2023). According to the data of the General Administration of Customs, in 2022, the export value of Chinas consumer goods furniture to Australia exceeded 12 billion yuan, of which Sichuan Provinces export value was approximately 160 million yuan. In view of this, Chinas consumer goods furniture manufacturers and traders need to pay close attention to this information standard to ensure the compliance of product exports.

Statistics from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) are shocking. Since 2000, there have been frequent incidents of deaths and injuries caused by furniture collapse. During this period, 28 people died due to furniture collapse, most of whom were children and the elderly. Freestanding storage furniture, such as chests of drawers and bookcases, is considered the main source of risk. These statistics highlight the urgency of strengthening furniture safety information standards.

The new standards proposed by Australia mainly focus on three types of furniture:

Type 1:(a) Clothing storage units with a height of more than 500mm; (b) Bookcases with a height of more than 600mm; chests of drawers, cabinets and wardrobes;
Type 2:Entertainment units;
Type 3:Hall tables, display cabinets, buffet tables, sideboards, etc. with a height of more than 500mm.

Remarks:
Clothing storage unit refers to: (a) designed mainly for clothing storage; (b) contains one or more drawers, doors or other expandable elements.
Entertainment unit refers to furniture mainly used to place, support or carry entertainment facilities such as televisions.

This standard is especially aimed at furniture that may cause harm to children and the elderly.

It is worth noting that second - hand consumer goods are not within the scope of this standard.

In order to ensure the safety of consumers, the new information standard puts forward several key requirements.

? Affix permanent warning labels on furniture;
? Provide safety information in the instruction manual and/or assembly instructions, emphasizing the risk of tipping and the importance of anchoring;
? Provide warnings about tipping hazards at in - store and online sales points.

The new information standard takes into account that suppliers may need time to adapt, so a 12 - month transition period is provided. During this period, suppliers can choose whether to follow the new standard. In addition, the public comment period is set before September 24, 2023.

Given the growing value of Chinas furniture exports to Australia, this new information standard undoubtedly brings new challenges to Chinese furniture manufacturers and traders. In order to ensure product compliance, Chinese furniture enterprises need to keep informed of and follow these new requirements in a timely manner, and at the same time maintain close communication with relevant Australian departments to ensure the smooth export of products.

Original document of Consumer Goods (Tip - Prone Furniture) Information Standard (2023): https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2023/TBT/AUS/23_11278_00_e.pdf