BIC FILES A COMPLAINT WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR LACK OF SURVEILLANCE OF LIGHTER SAFETY COMPLIANCE IN FRANCE AND IN GER...
18 Oktober 2018 - 6:00AM
BIC Group - Press
Release
Clichy - 18 OCTOBER 2018
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BIC files a complaint with the European Commission for lack
of surveillance of lighter Safety compliance in France and in
Germany.
BIC announces
today that it has filed an infringement complaint with the European
Commission for lack of surveillance of non-compliant Lighters in
France and Germany. The complaint concerns non-compliant Lighters
that are either imported or sold on these domestic markets,
impacting the entire European Union due to the free movement of
goods.
The seriousness of this issue has
been broadly acknowledged by the European Commission, the European
Parliament, the Highest French Courts, and the relevant NGOs.
In 2006, the European Commission
introduced "emergency legislation" requiring that Member States
monitor and ensure that all Lighters imported or sold in their
markets comply with safety standards (ISO9994, EN13869[1]) and
prohibit novelty Lighters. In 2010 infringement proceedings were
brought against the Netherlands for lack of surveillance of the
lighter market, which remain on-going. In 2016, in France, the
Highest Court (Cour de Cassation) recognized
that lighter models being marketed by the leading French lighter
importer were non-compliant.
It is the responsibility of Member
States to perform mandatory controls of consumer products and to
take effective measures to protect European consumers by ensuring
that only safe Lighters are marketed, imported and sold.
According to François
Clément-Grandcourt, Head of BIC Lighter Category: "A lighter is a plastic reservoir
filled with pressurized gas that is ignited with a spark to produce
a flame. The danger is very real if the lighter is not designed or
manufactured properly. The consequences can be severe. Although
repeatedly notified by BIC over the past ten years, France and
Germany have failed to take the appropriate action that would
prevent the marketing of non-compliant Lighters to the public. Year
after year, the lighter issue has become emblematic of the lack of
market surveillance in Europe. Nevertheless, solutions do exist to
prevent the circulation of dangerous Lighters within the European
market. Member-States, for example, could be obligated to carry out
effective product surveillance on products entering and circulating
within the European Union, with infringements sanctioned in a
dissuasive manner."
73%[2] of the
lighter models available in Europe do not comply with ISO 9994
Safety Standards, which represent a real danger for
consumers.
The failure of customs control at
the ports of entry to the European Union, particularly in Hamburg
(the N°1 port of entry in the European Union for Lighters), coupled
with a lack of surveillance on the domestic market, mean that many
non-compliant Lighters models are currently available on the
European market, particularly in Germany and in France.
It is estimated that:
-
86%[3] of the
lighter models sold in France and in Germany do not comply with the
ISO 9994 International Safety Standard. This Standard clearly
defines the basic safety requirements for pocket Lighters, such as
maximum flame height, drop resistance, resistance to high
temperatures, internal pressure, and continuous burn.
-
97%[4] of the
electronic lighter models available in Europe do not comply with
the EN 13869 Standard, which requires all pocket Lighters sold
within the EU to be effectively child-resistant throughout a
lighter's shelf-life.
-
Novelty pocket Lighters, outlawed in
2008, remain freely available for sale in these countries, with
apparent impunity.
Lighters are the
cause of almost 30.000[5] severe
accidents per year in the European Union, which costs around one
billion euros annually.
The link between lighter-related
accidents and non-compliance with Safety Standards has been proven
in numerous studies conducted by manufacturers, Institution, and
Government. For example, strict enforcement of child Safety
regulations in the United States has cut the number of fires,
accidents, fatalities and societal costs of accidents involving
children playing with lighters by two-thirds[6].
Two 2018's studies[7] have
revealed that:
-
75% of accidents
with a lighter were caused by an issue addressed by the ISO 9994
Safety Standard requirements. Examples: in 36%
of cases, the lighter exploded; in 32% of
cases, the flame did not extinguish; and in 16% of cases, the lighter spluttered gas inflamed
droplets
-
13% of accidents
resulted from children playing with lighters.
-
80% of accidents
with a lighter were caused by an issue addressed by the ISO 9994
Safety Standard requirements. Examples: in 32%
of cases, the lighter exploded; in 30% of
cases, the flame did not extinguish; and in 21% of cases, the lighter spluttered gas inflamed
droplets,
-
10% of accidents
resulted from children playing with Lighters.
These studies confirm the findings
of an earlier study conducted in 2011[8] in 9
European-Union Member States which revealed that 79% accidents with a lighter in Europe were caused by
an issue addressed by the ISO 9994 Safety Standard and 7% resulted from children playing with
Lighters.
For Gonzalve Bich, Chief Executive
Officer of BIC, " Too many potentially dangerous
Lighters are available for sale in the European market. While the
issue has been resolved in many countries around the world, the
lack of effective market surveillance in Europe poses a real threat
to consumer safety and is a cause for concern. Since day one, BIC
has made the quality and safety of its Lighters an absolute
priority. By initiating these new proceedings with the European
Union, BIC is acting in the interest of all consumers and is
committed to assisting those in pursuit of genuine consumer
protection."
Applicable Safety Standards:
-
The ISO 9994 international Safety
Standard introduced in 1989 sets the basic Safety requirements for
pocket Lighters, specifically maximum flame height, drop
resistance, resistance to high temperatures, resistance to internal
pressure and to continuous burning, etc.
-
EN 13869 Standard, the child-resistant
Safety Standard, which in Europe encompasses ISO 9994, requires all
pocket Lighters sold in Europe to be effectively child-resistant
throughout the lighter's shelf-life. A "child-resistant" lighter is
one for which ignition has been made deliberately more difficult
for a child under the age of 51 months. 85% of children under 51
months old should not be able to start the lighter during
testing.
Investor Relations: +33 1 45 19 52 26 |
Press Contacts |
Sophie
Palliez-Capian
sophie.palliez@bicworld.com |
Albane de
La Tour d'Artaise Albane.DeLaTourD'Artaise@bicworld.com |
Michèle
Ventura
michele.ventura@bicworld.com |
Isabelle
de Segonzac: +33 1 53 70 74 70
isegonzac@image7.fr |
For more information, please consult the corporate
website: www.bicworld.com
2018 -
2019 Agenda (all dates to be confirmed)
Third
Quarter 2018 results |
24 October
2018 |
Conference
call |
Full Year
2018 results |
13 February
2019 |
Meeting -
BIC Headquarters |
First
Quarter 2019 results |
25 April
2019 |
Conference
call |
2019
AGM |
22 May
2019 |
Meeting -
BIC Headquarters |
BIC is a world
leader in Stationery, Lighters, and Shavers. For more than 70
years, BIC has honored the tradition of providing high-quality,
affordable products to consumers everywhere. Through this
unwavering dedication, BIC has become one of the most recognized
brands and is a trademark registered worldwide for identifying BIC
products which are sold in more than 160 countries around the
world. In 2017, BIC Net Sales were 2,041.4 million euros. The
Company is listed on "Euronext Paris" and is part of the SBF120 and
CAC Mid 60 indexes. BIC is also part of the following Socially
Responsible Investment indexes: CDP's
"Leadership Level" (A-) and "Leadership Level" for the additional
"Supplier" module, Euronext Vigeo - Eurozone 120, Euronext
Vigeo - Europe 120, FTSE4Good indexes,
Ethibel Pioneer and Ethibel Excellence Investment
Registers, Ethibel Sustainability Index (ESI)
Excellence Europe, Stoxx Global ESG Leaders Index.
[2]
Source: PROSAFE 2010 (Product Safety Enforcement Forum of Europe) -
119 main lighter models imported in Europe
[3]
Source: Market scanning done by BIC in June 2018
[4]
Source: SGS tests on 105 Piezo models with vertical movement-
between April 2017 and June 2018
[5] Source: BIC
estimates and European Commission studies
[6] Source:
"Fires Caused by children playing with Lighters CPSC 2000 - post
evaluation of Safety Standards
[7] Source: BIC
studies done by an external supplier in 2018
[8] Source: BIC
studies done by an external supplier
BIC - Press Release
This
announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West
Corporation clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely
responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the
information contained therein.
Source: BIC via Globenewswire
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