Reima Wins Golden EU Product Safety Award

The new award honours businesses that go the "extra mile" to protect consumers.

Finnish children’s wear brand Reima has received a gold award for Product Safety from the European Commission.

This exciting award shines a light on companies who put children’s safety at the heart of what they do.

The ceremony took place in Brussels and saw European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Věra Jourová, present awards to four large companies and four SMEs. The winners came from all across Europe, including Austria, Denmark, Germany and Greece with Reima the only Finnish company to be awarded.

75-year-old Reima has Strong Roots in Children’s Safety

Since the Company’s beginning in the 1940s, practical childrenswear has been one of Reima’s focuses and safety has grown to be an integral part of the company’s DNA.

Besides making its products safe through non-toxic materials, PFC-free clothing and imitation fur, Reima have taken the safety of children one step further through ranges of protective clothing. By the 1970s, Reima’s children’s wear with reflective details were publicly recognised and commended and Reima still continues developing new reflective products to protect children in the dark. In the summer months, Reima have developed a SunProof range which protects delicate skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays as well as mosquito-repellent clothing. For spring 2020, Reima will introduce top-to-toe clothing that repels other insects too, including ticks, which are a global health hazard.

“I am very happy and proud of our entire organisation for winning this award, as I know how much consistent work is behind this victory”, says the company CEO Mrs. Elina Björklund.

Safe Clothing is the Corner Stone of Sustainability

Concentrating solely on children has provided Reima a competitive edge, with the Company now operating in over 70 countries. This makes Reima the only global performance wear provides that produces only for kids. Reima’s R&D and Sustainability Director Mr. Shahriare Mahmood explains the reasons behind the company’s expertise in safety:

“Comprehensive knowledge in material and product development and trustable partners in the supply chain are critical to maintain product safety. We also work in different safety groups on both international and national level, e.g. CEN WG20, TEVASTA (children’s clothing & sleeping ambient safety), TEVA, and SIS. Most importantly, we have an extensive quality control procedure.

The Benefits of an EU Award on Product Safety

Companies often go above and beyond EU consumer safety requirements and, by showcasing these practices, the European Commission wants to inspire other businesses to do the same. The EU Product Safety Award helps to make consumers more aware of their right to find only safe products on the market.

The first edition of the award was open to companies from EU Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Entries received were assessed by a high-level jury comprising experts from government and consumer organisations.

More information on the EU Product Safety Award can be found here.

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