About us Quality, security, serviceIn addition to their educational value, all our products are developed with the greatest attention to the quality of raw materials, the manufacturing process and safety requirements to ensure that they are suitable for intensive use by children for many years.
In collaboration with manufacturers and distributors around the world, we are able to offer materials that meet the demanding, high-quality criteria required by teachers.
Compliance with safety standards
Nathan attaches enormous importance to ensuring that its products are compliant with safety standards. They are a determining factor from the initial development phases and are complied with throughout the product manufacturing and supply process. In addition to full and complete compliance with current standards, the products that we manufacture comply with quality criteria specific to the Nathan brand which are often more stringent than regulatory standards.
All our products covered by European standards bear the CE mark.
The CE mark is mandatory for all products subject to one or more European Directives dealing with safety, public health and consumer protection. It appears on the product itself, on the packaging or the supplied documentation. CE compliance certificates for our products are available upon request.
European Directive 2009/48/EC on safety toy: this new directive entered into force twice on 20 july 2011 for standards EN 71-1 and EN 71-2 (Mechanical and Flammability) and on 20 July 2013 for standard EN 71-3 (Chemicals). All our products classed as toys shall henceforth fully meet the obligations set out in this directive.
European Standard EN 71 on the safety of toys: tests on physical properties (stability, shock resistance, fall resistance and traction resistance under the least favourable conditions of use), flammability tests, chemical tests etc.
European standard EN 1021-1 and 2:
fabric flammability on upholstered furniture.
European standard EN 16121 : on non-domestic storage furniture.
French standard NF S 54-300 on Educational Material for Motor Skills: checking solidity, stability and the absence of trapping hazards for children aged between 0 and 12.
• Our products comply with the REACH ruling that imposes manufacturing, trade and usage restrictions applicable to certain substances with the aim of protecting human health and the environment.
REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) is an EU regulation aimed at improving awareness of the chemical substances used in industry in order to restrict their impact on health and the environment. This regulation entered into force on 1st June 2007, but the recording and authorisation procedures are being gradually introduced over ten years.
We constantly analyse the raw materials listed in the REACH appendix in relevant products in order to guarantee that their levels of azo dyes, phthalates, cadmium and PCP are well within the statutory limits.
Azo dyes make up a sizable amount of colourings and are widely used in fabric items. The pigments of azo dyes are chemically produced and can release certain aromatic amines that are deemed to be carcinogenic. Phthalates are regularly used in plastics (especially PVC) to make them flexible. Their use in toys has been drastically reduced in Europe due to their toxicity and the potential environmental impact.
• Moving forward with our health and the environment initiatives, we analyse the formaldehyde levels in our wood-based materials in order to ensure that they are kept to a minimum (E1 classification of our materials).
Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound (VOC) which is harmful to human health. It is a solvent used in many synthetic materials, in particular glues and resins used in wooden panels. Since 2002, the E1 standard has guaranteed strict formaldehyde thresholds.