Eurofins | June 2019 regulatory Newsflash compilation | Softlines & Leather
Proposal for the restriction of skin sensitizing substances in textile, leather, fur and hide
On 24th April 2019, ECHA(European Chemicals Agency) published a restriction proposal of 1000 allergenic substances used in apparel and footwear.
The proposal intends to cover the placing on the market of textile and leather articles, hides and furs intended to come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin.
This proposal was jointly drawn up by Swedish Chemicals Agency (KEMI) and the French agency ANSES with the aim of protecting consumers from the risk of skin allergies. This proposal arises from the work of these two entities faced with cases of skin allergies detected and linked to this kind of products.
These 1000 proposed chemical substances are all substances classified as skin sensitizers under CLP Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 and 25 substances of the family of disperse dyes with sensitizing properties.
In this proposal, information can be found about chemical alternatives and an assessment of the economic impacts within other points.
It will soon be the subject of a public consultation for a period of six months. Following this consultation stage, the ECHA Committees will formulate an opinion which will be sent to the European Commission to decide on the adoption of this restriction. If this proposal is finally adopted, it will be included in Annex XVII of REACH Regulation No. 1907/2006 and will, therefore, be mandatory for textiles, hides and furs intended to come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin and placed on the market in Europe.
Click here for getting the ECHA restriction publication.
Below a summary table with some recent standards updates and upcoming dates of withdrawal (non-exhaustive):
(*) Date of withdrawal: latest date by which national standards conflicting with an EN (and HD for CENELEC) have to be withdrawn.
(**) Date of availability: date when the definitive text in the official language versions of an approved CEN/CENELEC publication is distributed by the Central Secretariat.
|
Reference |
Title |
Date of Withdrawal (*) |
Supersedes |
|
Leather - Chemical determination of metal content - Part 1: Extractable metals (ISO 17072-1:2019). |
2019-10-31 |
||
|
Leather - Chemical determination of metal content - Part 2: Total metal content (ISO 17072-2:2019). |
2019-10-31 |
||
|
Leather - Measuring the colour and colour difference of finished leather (ISO 22700:2019). |
2019-10-31 |
|
|
|
Leather - Physical and mechanical test methods for the determination of soiling - Part 1: Rubbing (Martindale) method (ISO 26082-1:2019). |
2019-10-31 |
||
|
Reference |
Title |
Date of Availability (**) |
Supersedes |
|
Textile products and nanotechnologies - Guidance on tests to simulate nanoparticle release - Skin exposure. |
2019-04-03 |
|
Draft standard for footwear size
On 14th April 2019, the British Standards Institution (BSI) published a proposal for a UK footwear size marking system. This draft standard defines the size designation system in terms of the length of foot.
The aim is to help manufacturers and retailers in the followings points:
- To provide customers with better information.
- To help customers relate footwear sizes directly to their own feet, which they can easily measure.
- To work to a common, defined UK sizing system.
- To devise more accurate and reliable size conversion charts.
The public consultation period closed on 14th May 2019 and the final conclusion will be available in about 18 months.
Click here for more information from BSI website.
New version of standard for footwear
From 1st July 2019, the standard GB/T 36975-2018 for footwear products will be effective.
This Chinese standard applies to footwear products except for safety, protective, professional and competition sports footwear.
This standard specifies the terms and definitions, classification, requirements, test methods, principle of inspection, marking, package, transportation, and storage of footwear products.
Below you will find a monthly summary of product recalls and alerts in Europe (Source “RAPEX”) and in the US (Source “CPSC”).
Europe
RAPEX (European Commission Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products – Alerts reported by EU national authorities).
The following 14 alerts regarding textile & leather products have been reported, from week 16 until week 20 of 2019.
|
Type of Risk |
Number of alerts |
Notes |
|
Chemical |
1 |
Leather shoes- Chromium (VI) in the leather insoles. |
|
Choking |
2 |
Children’s clothing – Choking hazard mainly due to small parts being detached from the article. |
|
Injuries, Strangulation |
11 |
Children’s clothing - having drawstrings or decorative cords which are too long and unattached. They can become trapped during activities of the child and cause injuries. Not complying with the Standard EN 14682. |
From 21st April to 20th May 2019, CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) has published the following recalls: 1 recalls regarding textile & leather products.
|
Type of Risk |
Number of alerts |
Notes |
|
Fire hazard |
1 |
The rug’s shag cover fails to meet the federal flammability standard for carpets and rugs. |
Introducing Ve-MAP Vegan Verification System from Chem-MAP
The Ve-MAP programme can support brands and retailers in the verification of product as suitable for vegans. The Ve-MAP programme enables manufacturing facilities to create and populate a comprehensive chemical inventory with systematic identification of all chemicals being used within the facility. This Chemical Inventory Log (CIL) will then allow the Ve-MAP team to conduct a risk assessment of each chemical and its links to animal products. Any chemicals deemed as ‘high risk’ of having animal derived raw materials are then analysed for the presence of animal DNA.
For more information on Ve-MAP please visit the Chem-MAP website. If you are looking to ensure your products are vegan and would like to discuss Ve-MAP and the certification of Vegan products, contact the Chem-MAP team today: info@chem-map.com, +44 (0) 1604 679999.
