Ikea China under fire for not recalling Malm dresser
Ikea will not launch a recall in China while it continues providing a full refund to buyers who want to return their Malm dressers, Ikea China said today after it was entangled in a "double standard" accusation.
The Swedish furniture giant hosted a press conference today after it came under fire for not recalling its Malm dressers as it did in North America, following the deaths of eight young children who were crushed by the dressers which, when not secured, can fall forward.
Ikea said they continue to provide free wall anchoring kits and free service to secure the dressers to the wall for those who have bought the product in China.
Since July last year, Ikea China has handled more than 8,000 full refunds of the Malm dressers and about 14,000 requests for free kits or free services to secure the drawers on the wall, according to the company.
About 2 million Malm dressers have been sold in China since 2006 when the Malm line hit the market.
Ikea announced it had launched a recall of 17.3 million dressers in the United States and Canada in the wake of a 2-year-old boy in California being crushed to death after an unsecured Malm dresser fell on him in May. He was the eighth child under 3 years of age whose death was blamed on the unsecured Ikea dressers.
Following the North American recall, the company then became entangled in double standard accusations with regard to not recalling the line in China.
The Shanghai Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau on Wednesday asked Ikea China to recall its Malm line in China and to fulfill its obligation on quality issues and safety hazards.
It should also conduct a flawed product investigation and analysis immediately, the bureau said.