Art & Creative Materials Institute

The Art and Creative Materials Institute, Inc. (ACMI) is a non-profit, international association of about 200 art, craft and creative material manufacturers which seeks to promote safety in art and creative products through its certification program. Many small companies, as well as large ones, participate in the ACMI product certification program. Nearly a quarter of these companies are long-standing members (20+ years) of ACMI.

Since 1936, the ACMI program for children’s art materials has certified that products are non-toxic using the AP Seal. In 1982, the program was expanded to include a much broader range of art materials, including adult products, ensuring that they are non-toxic (AP Seal) or carry appropriate health warning labels (CL Seal) where necessary.

ACMI-certified product seals (AP Approved Product and CL Cautionary Labeling - see "The ACMI Certification Seals" below) indicate that these products have been evaluated by a qualified toxicologist and are labeled in accordance with federal and state laws. Each product in the program undergoes extensive toxicological testing that covers both acute and chronic toxicity concerns before it is granted the right to bear the ACMI certification seal. The ACMI product certification program includes an on-going review of the latest scientific and regulatory information available to keep the program current. The program also includes a five-year review of product formulations to meet the requirements of the Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act.

ACMI was initially known as the Crayon, Water Color & Craft Institute, Inc. It was renamed the Art & Craft Materials Institute in 1982. It adopted its current name in the late 2000s.

ACMI was founded in 1936 and is currently headquartered in Hingham, Massachusetts.

The AP (Approved Product Seal) identifies art materials that are safe and that are certified in a toxicological evaluation by a medical expert to contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans, including children, or to cause acute or chronic health problems. Such products are certified by ACMI to be labeled in accordance with the chronic hazard labeling standard, ASTM D 4236, and the U. S. Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act (LHAMA).

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