Mattel Apologizes to China Over Recalls

Thomas A. Debrowski, Mattel's executive vice president for worldwide operations, left, meets with Chinese product safety chief Li Changjiang during his visit to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) office in Beijing Friday, Sept. 21, 2007. U.S. toy giant Mattel issued an extraordinary apology to China on Friday over the recall of Chinese-made toys, saying most of the items were defective because of Mattel's design flaws rather than faulty manufacturing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) (Andy Wong - AP)

Mattel ordered three high-profile recalls this summer involving more than 21 million Chinese-made toys, including Barbie doll accessories and toy cars because of concerns about lead paint or tiny magnets that could be swallowed.

Mattel previously said many of the toys were recalled because of design problems. It also said certain vendors in China or their subcontractors violated Mattel's rules by failing to use safe paint or to run tests on paint.

On Friday, Debrowski acknowledged that the "vast majority of those products that were recalled were the result of a design flaw in Mattel's design, not through a manufacturing flaw in China's manufacturers."

Lead-tainted toys accounted for only a small percentage of all toys recalled, he added.

In a statement issued later, Mattel said its lead-related recalls were "overly inclusive, including toys that may not have had lead in paint in excess of the U.S. standards."

"The follow-up inspections also confirmed that part of the recalled toys complied with the U.S. standards," the statement said, without giving specific figures.

In Beijing, Debrowski said, "we understand and appreciate deeply the issues that this has caused for the reputation of Chinese manufacturers."

Li upbraided Mattel for maintaining weak safety controls and reminded Debrowski that "a large part of your annual profit ... comes from your factories in China."

"I really hope that Mattel can learn lessons and gain experience from these incidents," Li said, adding that Mattel should "improve their control measures."

Since the recalls, Mattel has announced plans to upgrade its safety system by certifying suppliers and increasing the frequency of random, unannounced inspections. It has fired several manufacturers.

Chinese food, drugs and other products ranging from toothpaste to seafood are also under intense scrutiny because they have been found to contain potentially deadly substances.

On Friday, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said about 1 million Simplicity and Graco cribs were being recalled after three children became entrapped in their cribs and died of suffocation. The products were made in China.