Starlight Foundation

The Brief

Starlight Foundation sought a partner who could navigate the complex requirements of the Consumer Goods Button Battery Safety Standards while maintaining the playful nature of their signature light-up wands. The product needed to feature secure battery compartments, child-resistant packaging, and clear warning labels – all while preserving the magic that makes these wands special.

The Starlight Children’s Foundation, a long-standing client of Inck, needed to create magical light-up wands for their fundraising events that would be safe for children. However, with new button battery safety regulations introduced in June 2022, the project required careful consideration of compliance without diminishing the product’s enchanting appeal.

Inck approached this challenge by first conducting thorough research into the ACCC’s guidelines for button battery safety. Working closely with our manufacturing partners, we developed a prototype that featured an innovative child-resistant battery compartment design. Our team maintained constant communication with Starlight Foundation throughout the development process, ensuring that safety modifications didn’t compromise the wand’s design.

Implementation

The production process involved multiple stages of safety testing and refinement. Each wand was engineered with a secure battery housing that met Australian standards, while the packaging was designed to include clear safety warnings and emergency information. Our team coordinated extensive compliance testing, providing regular updates to Starlight Foundation to ensure complete transparency throughout the process.

The final product exceeded expectations, successfully balancing safety requirements with functionality and design. The wands became a beloved feature at Starlight events, with parents and healthcare providers expressing confidence in the product’s safety features. This success led to the development of additional merchandise items, including polo shirts, sweatbands, and stress stars, all maintaining the same high standards of compliance and quality.

Key Learnings

This project demonstrated the value of proactive compliance management in promotional merchandise. By addressing safety requirements early in the design process and maintaining open communication with our client, we were able to create a product that met both regulatory standards and client expectations. The success of the light-up wands reinforced our belief that safety and creativity can coexist in promotional products.

Moving Forward

The Starlight Foundation wands project has become a benchmark for how Inck approaches compliance-sensitive merchandise. It showcases our ability to navigate complex regulatory requirements while delivering products that bring joy and maintain their intended purpose.