Quality & Product Safety

Designing With Children in Mind

At HABA, we develop and produce innovative games, toys, and accessories for the home for the most important audience of all – you and your family.

Our assortment grows every year, as our designers take products from initial sketch to finished model. We are proud that so many of our creations have been prize-winners, from Game of the Year to the Design Plus award.

A Legacy of Quality Design

From the start, HABA has combined creativity, high-quality materials and safety in our toys. That legacy continues today.

Toys for Today and Tomorrow

Our products are not only fun to play with and to look at, but they are made to last. We put a premium on using materials that are ecologically sustainable, including indigenous maple and beech wood. We also use fabric, leather, water-based paint, felt, cardboard and glass.

High Quality Materials

We believe that toys are only as good as the materials they are made from. That’s why we’re care to ensure that only the highest quality materials are used in our manufacture. We also carefully monitor workmanship, both during in-house production and at our suppliers.

Timber

HABA has borne the PEFC seal since 2010, which recognizes that we use timber from sustainable forests for our products. The beech and birch wood used come from forests located in an area some 93 miles around our site in Bad Rodach in Franconia, Germany. Plywood is imported from Finland and Russia, exclusively from controlled cultivation. For products produced in Asia, we closely oversee and control the materials and manufacture.

Stain

We use only solvent-free paints or water-based stains in our products, so there is no need to worry when toys for babies end up in their mouths.

Fabric

Our fabric toys are made of varying materials, including polyester, blended cotton, soft suede and plush, corduroy, velvet, felt and mesh. We regularly visit and inspect our suppliers. They are certified under the code of the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI). All toys made from fabric are tested by the State Trade Institute [Landesgewerbeanstalt] (LGA) for harmful substances. These tests include those pursuant to the Directive on Azo Dyestuff (synthetic dyestuff) 76/769/EU and the 19th Amendment 2002/61 of the Directive.

Plastics

Plastics are used primary for sand toys, all of which come with a five-year warranty. We adhere strictly to Directive 2005/84 (restrictions on marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations). All of our products are BPA-free and we test plastic and artificial rubber-based products for diethyl phthalates according to the limits of this directive.

Spielstabil Products

All Spielstabil items are made in Germany and are free of phthalates, BPA, lead and PVC. These products are made of food-grade ABS plastic and anything that needs to be joined together is done so using hygienic ultrasonic welding instead of glue. These products are guaranteed for 10 years to be unbreakable. They are microwave, dishwasher and food safe up to 250*F. All of the toys HABA US distributes meet and often exceed European and US Toy Safety standards, as well as the German Food and Drug Law (equivalent to the regulations of the US FDA.)

Fasal

The colored rods in several of our grasping toys, pacifier clips, and other baby products are made from Fasal, an innovative and bio-based biodegradable material. This environmentally friendly wood-derived injection-moldable material allows for unique shapes in production and passes all US and European Safety Standards. The wood used to produce this sustainable material is PEFC certified. 

Cardboard

Cardboard is used in game boards, tiles and cards, as well as our beautifully illustrated puzzles and books.

Product Safety

At HABA, we take our commitment to children and families very seriously. We believe only the highest quality and safest toys will do. That is why we are dedicated to sustainability, product testing and quality control in everything we make.

  • HABA is certified under DIN EN ISO 9001, which means we have successfully introduced a quality assurance program and apply it consistently. This applies to product development, purchasing, production and assembly as well as marketing.
  • All materials we use are subject to continuous controls. They are also tested for adherence to all guidelines by authorized, independent institutions.
  • HABA has borne the PEFC seal since 2010, which affirms that we use timber from sustainable forests. We support continual environmental management under DIN ISO 14001.
  • All suppliers and subcontractors are expected to behave responsibly. We make no compromises on the basic requirements of safety and human rights. All partners are expected to adhere to the social standards under BCSI, SA 8000, or ICTI. Adherence to these standards is monitored on site at our suppliers’ factories.
  • Children's safety is our #1 priority. Our toys meet all European and American standard for materials and processing. A quality and safety team sits with our designers to ensure safety in materials and design from the very beginning of work on a new product. Before shipment to the USA, products are tested both in-house and by a third-party CPSC authorized laboratory to ensure they meet and/or exceed US safety specifications.

Sustainability

HABA cares about the environmental impact of our company and the production of our toys. Learn more about HABA's Sustainability Commitment »