Softlines & Leather | Monthly bulletin | January 2020
Regulatory news - Commercial news
Standards updates
See below a table summarising 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(*) Date of withdrawal: latest date by which national standards conflicting with an EN (and HD for CENELEC) have to be withdrawn.
|
CEN |
|||
|
Reference |
Title |
Date of Withdrawal (*) |
Supersedes |
|
Textile floor coverings - Assessment of impregnations in needled floor coverings by means of a soiling test |
2020-05-31 |
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|
Textiles - Quantitative chemical analysis - Part 15: Mixtures of jute with certain animal fibres (method by determining nitrogen content) (ISO 1833-15:2019) |
2020-05-31 |
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Regulatory proposals notified to WTO
See below a table summarising some recent notifications to the World Trade Organization (non-exhaustive):
|
Notification number / Link |
Country |
Title |
|
India |
Textiles-High Density Polyethylene and Polypropylene woven sacks for packaging or filling (quality control) Order, 2019
It seeks to ensure conformity to High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Polypropylene (PP) woven sacks for packaging/ filling listed in the Schedule to the specified Indian Standard |
|
|
Ukraine |
The Draft Order of the Ministry for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine "On approval of the Technical Regulation on textile fibers names and appropriate labeling and marking of the content of raw materials components of textile products"
It lays down rules concerning the use of textile fibre names and related labelling and marking of fibre composition of textile products, rules concerning the labelling or marking of textile products containing non-textile parts of animal origin and rules concerning the determination of the fibre composition of textile products by quantitative analysis of binary and ternary textile fibre mixtures |
New requirements for softlines and leather products
On 14th November 2019, The ANDINA Community (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) published the following resolutions in the Official Gazette of the Cartagena Agreement related to softlines and leather products:
- Resolution No. 2107 - Andean Technical Regulations for the Labelling of Footwear, Leather Goods, Travel Items and the Like.
Effective date: In November 2020. Download here.
- Resolution No. 2109 - Andean Technical Regulations for the Labelling of Apparel.
Effective date: In May 2021. Download here.
The aim of these Resolutions is to indicate the minimum information that must be included on the labels of these types of products that are marketed within the Andean sub-region.
The main requirements for labelling are:
|
|
Resolution nº 2017 |
Resolution nº 2019 |
|
Scope |
Footwear, Leather Goods, Travel Items and similar |
Apparel products |
|
General requirements |
|
|
|
Minimum information to contain |
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|
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For footwear
|
The predominant materials of the fundamental parts of footwear:
Size:
Expressed in numbers according to the European continental system or French point (EUR). Other size systems can be additionally placed. This size must be accompanied by the initials of the system used
Note: When the shoes are in a box or other form of factory packaging, their size may also appear on that package |
Not applicable |
|
For leather goods, travel articles and similar products |
The content of the predominant materials of the fundamental parts of the leather goods:
|
Not applicable |
China updated textiles standard list in December 2019
On 2nd December 2019, the ministry of industry and information technology of the People's Republic of China (MIIT) Published the notice No.48 of 2019 and a number of industrial standards and technical specifications for measurement were published, which including 30 industrial standards and 6 technical specifications for measurement related to the textile industry.
Below table listed some of the relevant textile standards (including but not limit to):
|
No. |
Standard No. |
Standard Name |
Implementation Date |
|
1 |
FZ/T 64072-2019 |
High strength anti-puncture woven fabric for shoes |
2020-04-01 |
|
2 |
FZ/T 63006-2019 |
Elastic webbing |
2020-04-01 |
|
3 |
FZ/T 63005-2019 |
Woven belts |
2020-04-01 |
|
4 |
FZ/T 50047-2019 |
Test method for heat and UV resistance and acid resistance of polyimide fiber |
2020-04-01 |
|
5 |
FZ/T 01151-2019 |
Test method for wear resistance of textile fabrics accelerated friction method |
2020-04-01 |
|
6 |
FZ/T 01150-2019 |
Test method for qualitative identification of textile bamboo fiber and bamboo pulp viscose fiber- near infrared spectroscopy |
2020-04-01 |
The completed notification can be found here (in Chinese).
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 36 alerts regarding textile & leather products have been reported, from week 47 until week 50 of 2019.
|
Type of Risk |
Number of alerts |
Notes |
|
Chemical |
2 |
Leather breeches and shorts: They contain an excessive amount of chromium (VI) in the leather |
|
Choking |
8 |
Children's shoes: The decorative elements can easily detach, generating small parts |
|
Injuries |
8 |
Children’s clothes: Long ribbons or cods in the chest or the waist. Not complying with EN 14682 |
|
Strangulation |
16 |
Children’s clothing: There are drawstrings with free ends in the hood. Not complying with EN 14682 |
|
Suffocation |
2 |
Travel cot: The foldable mattress of the bed folds too easily and a small child could pull the mattress up and get its head trapped between the mattress and the base of the cot, leading to suffocation. Not complying with EN 716 |
From 21st November to 20th December 2019, CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) has published the following recalls: 1 recall regarding Childcare and children’s products.
|
Type of Risk |
Number of alerts |
Notes |
|
Choking |
1 |
Crewcuts boys’ stone washed denim pants: Small stones can be present in the pockets or waistband of the pants from the stone washing manufacturing process |
One Day Sustainability in the Leather Supply Chain Training Course
Eurofins | BLC offer a one - day Sustainability in the Leather Supply Chain Training Course that focuses on the key aspects of leather and sustainability, providing delegates with expert tuition that is focused on providing an objective overview of the merits and challenges related to leather sustainability.
One Day Understanding Leather Training Course
This introductory course covers the basics of the leather making process as well as covering the fundamentals of what you need to know before working with leather. Covering everything from raw material, all the way through to the finished product, this course is essential for those who are new to working with leather or need their leather knowledge refreshing.
Read more >>
First Event in Tirupur followed with Network Dinner
Eurofins Product Testing India organized one day Lab Visit & Network dinner for South India based Manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers.
Global services portfolio of Eurofins on textile and apparel, fibers and fabrics, textile chemical and dyestuff, accessories and toys has been presented to more than 50+ clients.
One day Chemical Compliance and Product Safety (RSL) Training Course
Manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers across the supply chain have a duty to protect consumers and the environment from exposure to harmful chemicals within their products. With various regional and international legislation, deciphering your business' chemical compliance can be challenging. This course will guide you through essential legislation that may affect your business and how you can ensure that you are compliant, in a simple step-by-step process.
Read more >>
Half Day Mould in Product Traning Course
Mould is a common problem within products and requires a holistic approach across the supply chain in order to manage risk. This workshop will provide you with an understanding of how mould can contaminate products and more importantly, how to avoid it. This course is aimed at designers, buyers, technicians, and anyone who manages or has input in the storage and transportation of leather goods.
One Day Leather Processing Course
Eurofins Textil Testing Spain in partnership with Eurofins | BLC Leather Technology Center will offer in Alicante a special traininig next 26th February. This course is ideal for tannery staff, leather processors, chemical companies as well as those interested in a greater understanding of raw to finished leather processing, this course provides an overview of the whole leather making process in just one day.
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