Who is IPEMA?
IPEMA is the International Play Equipment Manufacturer’s Association and their goal is to make sure your kids are safe in public playground environments. This includes anything from playground equipment to surface materials such as mulch. Before a company can become IPEMA certified, their manufacturing processes must be inspected and approved.
Keeping Your Kids Safe
Sounds great in theory, right? But how do they make this a reality? IPEMA has a few key requirements for playground mulch certification:
No Hazardous Chemicals
This one feels like a no brainer to most people, but believe it or not there is a chance that certain woods used for mulch are treated with harmful chemicals. An IPEMA certification gives you the peace of mind that your little nuggets won’t be exposed to harmful chemicals if they decide to taste test the mulch.
Preventing Foreign Objects & Sharp Ends
The mulch we typically find in our gardens can contain sticks, rocks, metal and who knows what else. IPEMA governs the manufacturing process to make sure the mulch is a standard size, consistency, and purity. Part of the process requires these manufacturers to run the mulch through a series of magnets to eliminate metals. During this process, the mulch is also required to be ground in a way that produces safe, non-splintered ends which reduces the chance of children getting those nasty wood splinters we all hate.
Softer Falls
Falling tends to happen in these environments, so IPEMA ensures kids have a safe-ish place to land. The organization requires mulch to be tested for how well the material absorbs impacts at heights based on playground equipment standards.
Here at the Mulch Mound, we only use suppliers that are IPEMA certified, giving you the peace of mind that your kids can enjoy the playground safely. The safety of our customers and their families is our top priority. You can buy our IPEMA certified mulch here.