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Recalls And Claims Amid A Sea Of Regulatory Change
June 5, 2025, Claims Journal
The current regulatory and claims environment for products, food and beverage, automobiles, medical devices, and more, is rapidly shifting. This amid layoffs at the federal level, slowdowns on inspections, and the potential for reduced enforcement. In response, business leaders are working to stay up to date on policy changes to maintain compliance.

New York City Mayor Wants To Force E-Bikes/Scooters To Slow Down
June 5, 2025, New York Times
Mayor Eric Adams has escalated a crackdown on electric bicycles and scooters by proposing a speed limit of 15 miles per hour for the increasingly popular vehicles. This is significantly slower than the requirement for cars. “I have heard, over and over again, from New Yorkers about how their safety — and the safety of their children — has been put at risk due to speeding e-bikes and e-scooters,” Mr. Adams said in a statement. Motor-assisted bicycles and electric scooters have multiplied across the streets of New York City as the trend of micro-mobility — the use of small, personal and powered vehicles — has taken root in many urban centers nationwide. But the vehicles have stirred public safety concerns even as cars remain involved in the vast majority of serious traffic crashes.

It’s Time To Update How Your Company Talks About Sustainability
June 5, 2025, Harvard Business Review
Businesses face increasing political pushback and legal threats against their environmental and social initiatives, leading many to under-communicate or shut down sustainability efforts. However, silence can erode consumer trust and miss out on the growing business value of climate initiatives, such as lowered costs and risk reduction. Instead, companies need a transparent sustainability communications strategy that is positive, clear and committed. Leaders should implement three strategies: Understand and address the expectations of employees and customers, connect emotionally with audiences through stories and facts and move beyond traditional sustainability reports.

Infant Cushion Safety Rule Challenged In D.C. Appeals Court
June 4, 2025, Consumer Affairs 
The Consumer Product Safety Commission routinely passes new rules, a process that sometimes doesn’t go over well with the manufacturers of those products. Such is the fate of a rule enacted on May 5 to protect infants from suffocating. The commission took the action after it found that “infant support cushions” had contributed to unsafe sleep conditions, leading to 17 known deaths in 2020 and at least 17 more deaths in 2021. Taking issue with the rule is The New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), which is urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to vacate the new safety rule. The NCLA claims the CPSC overstepped its authority and used an improper process to enforce the regulation.

CPSC Offers Important Pool Safety Tips 
June 5, 2025, cpsc.gov
Consumer products present significant injury risks to older Americans, sending more than three million seniors to the hospital each year. Consumer products are associated with 41,000 senior deaths each year. according to CPSC’s most recent report. CPSC is emphasizing the importance of keeping older adults safe during June—National Safety Month. “CPSC continues to carry out its vital mission and is outpacing key safety and performance metrics from recent years, including with respect to senior safety,” said Acting Chairman Peter Feldman.

New York Post: ‘Defective’ Chinese Tools Linked To Deaths, Injuries
June 4, 2025, nypost.com
Allegedly defective tools and hardware from a China-based seller on Amazon have been linked to two deaths and at least one serious injury, the Post has learned. The seller, Vevor, has amassed 1,430 Better Business Bureau complaints over allegedly faulty products and poor customer service. Amazon’s liability over defective third-party products has become a thorny question, with laws and legal outcomes varying from state to state. The company has typically argued that it is not directly responsible for products sold on its site that are manufactured by outside firms. 

CPSC: Stop Using NEWDERY Power Banks Due To Fire/Burn Hazards; Risk Of Serious Injury Or Death
June 5, 2025, cpsc.gov
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning consumers to immediately stop using NEWDERY power banks, model ZHX-PB22 because they pose a risk of serious injury and death. The lithium-ion battery in the defective power banks can overheat and ignite, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers. CPSC has received nine reports of the defective power banks exploding and igniting, including one report of a serious fire resulting in $2 million in property damage and one report of a burn injury. The importer, Shenzhen Xinkewangda Electronics Co. Ltd., of China, has refused to conduct a recall. 

European Consumer Organizations File Complaint Against Shein
June 5, 2025, Fashion Network
Twenty-five European consumer organizations have lodged a joint complaint against Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein. The complaint accuses the company of misleading consumers and promoting overconsumption through manipulative design elements on its website and mobile app. The complaint, addressed to European regulators, alleges that Shein employs so-called ‘dark patterns’—techniques designed to subconsciously influence consumer behavior. These include fake discounts, countdown timers, misleading low-stock alerts and endless scrolling features.

Shein Claims Boost In Product Safety Standards; 2.5m Testing Goal For 2025
June 3, 2025, msn.com 
Shein anticipates an investment of approximately $15m in compliance activities for the year 2025. This investment will support an ambitious goal of conducting over 2.5 million product safety and quality assessments within the year, marking a 25% increment from the previous year. The company claims its product safety protocol to comply with pertinent laws and regulations, as well as the company’s internal safety standards that correspond with regulatory and industry benchmarks. These include the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) and EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR).

20 Tons Of Batteries Recycled In First Year Of Portland’s Curbside Program
June 4, 2025, Portland.gov
In the city’s first year of curbside battery collection, Portlanders safely taped, bagged, and set out more than 20 tons of batteries in their glass recycling bins. That’s 20 tons of batteries not sitting in landfills—or worse, sparking fires in garbage and recycling trucks or facilities. That means fewer fires, safer workers, and a cleaner environment for everyone.