
With effect from June 22nd 2022, the new Button Battery Safety Standards become mandatory in Australia.
Retailers selling products that contain button batteries must ensure they are complying with the new safety standards or risk facing significant fines / penalties.
Under the new standards, products containing button batteries must be safety tested and carry warning labels to alert consumers to the potential dangers of button batteries. A coin sized battery can get stuck in a child’s system and burn through the tissue in just two hours, causing severe injury or death. Swallowing may lead to serious injury in as little as 2 hours or death, due to chemical burns and potential perforation of the oesophagus.
Jopaz is no longer supplying to our retailers products containing button batteries. In 2021, products (fairy houses) that did contain button batteries were discontinued. Discontinued products have not been safety tested and the labelling will not comply with the new labelling standards. We strongly recommend our retailers review all existing stocks on hand to ensure that non-compliant products containing button cell batteries are removed from sale by June 22nd.
Further information regarding the new Button Battery Safety Standards can be found at: https://www.productsafety.gov.au/product-safety-laws/safety-standards-bans/mandatory-standards/button-and-coin-batteries