Eurofins Softlines & Leather Monthly Bulletin (August 2021)

EUROPE

Closer to a new General Product Safety regulation

The European Commission are working on the update of the General Product Safety Regulation. Below is a summary table containing recent proposals and drafts related to this matter:

Date	Reference	Title
30/06/2021	COM/2021/346 final	Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on general product safety, amending Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Council Directive 87/357/EEC and Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
30/06/2021	SWD/2021/169 final	COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT Accompanying the document Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on general product safety, amending Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Council Directive 87/357/EEC and Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
01/07/2021	ST 10381 2021 INIT	Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on general product safety, amending Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Council Directive 87/357/EEC and Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council

For more information about this procedure (2021/0170/COD), consult the European Commission here.

Perfluorinated carboxylic acids restricted under REACH Annex XVII Entry 68

On 5 August 2021, the European Union (EU) published Regulation (EU) No 2021/1297, which updated Annex XVII of REACH. Certain perfluorocarboxylic acids (C9-C14 PFCAs), their salts and C9-C14 PFCA-related substances will be banned from being placed on the market or used in most applications from 25 February 2023 onwards.

Read more about the main updates on the restricted substances here.

Standards updates

The below table summarises the most recent standard updates and upcoming dates of withdrawal (non-exhaustive):

CEN
Reference	Title	*Date of withdrawal ()**	Supersedes
EN ISO 1833-22:2021	Textiles - Quantitative chemical analysis - Part 22: Mixtures of viscose or certain types of cupro or modal or lyocell with flax fibres (method using formic acid and zinc chloride) (ISO 1833 22:2020)
EN ISO 10195:2021	Leather - Chemical determination of chromium(VI) content in leather - Thermal pre-ageing of leather and determination of hexavalent chromium (ISO 10195:2018)	28-02-2022
EN ISO 22517:2021	Leather - Chemical tests - Determination of pesticide residues content (ISO 22517:2019)	28-02-2022

FRANCE

New environmental labelling for consumer products

In 2020, French Law No. 2020-105 (Loi AGEC) was published with the aim of fighting against waste and promoting the circular economy. One of the main points is to encourage sustainable production, in particular by the deployment of environmental labelling (article 15) to encourage companies to eco-design and, additionally, provide a simple guide for consumers. Garments and textiles are one of the consumer product categories prioritised for the implementation of this requirement.

Environmental labelling is a rating of A, B, C, D or E displayed on products, either those on shelves or on the Internet, calculated over the entire life cycle of the product. The information has to be visible or accessible at the time of the purchase and concerns the qualities and environmental characteristics of the product (especially the presence of recycled material, the use of resources renewable, sustainability, recyclability and the possible presence of hazardous substances).

For more information, consult the Agence de la transition ecologique (ADEMA) website here.

UK Government extends UKCA marking deadline

On 24 August 2021, the UK government announced that businesses have been given an additional year to apply the UKCA marking to their products, businesses now have until the 1st January 2023 to apply the UKCA marking to their products.

After receiving feedback from the industry, the UK government has extended the date to give businesses more time to implement the changes necessary to comply with the UK marking requirements.

For more information, consult the UK government website here.

U.S.

Standards updates

The table below summarises some recent ASTM standards updates:

Reference	Title
ASTM D204 - 02(2021)	Standard Test Methods for Sewing Threads
ASTM D4849 - 21	Standard Terminology Related to Yarns and Fibers
ASTM F1912 - 21	Standard Specification for Safety of Bean Bag Chairs and Bean Bag Chair Covers

CHINA

Standards updates

The table below summarises some recent ASTM standards updates:

Reference	Title
FZ/T 73005-2021	Low wool content blend and wool-like knitting goods
FZ/T 73009-2021	Cashmere knitting goods
FZ/T 73018-2021	Wool knitting goods
FZ/T 73067-2020	Touch cool feeling knitted clothing
GB/T 40270-2021	Textiles - General technical requirements based on consumer experience

PRODUCT RECALLS / ALERTS

Below you will find a monthly summary of product recalls and alerts in Europe (Source “RAPEX”) and the U.S. (Source “CPSC”).

Europe

RAPEX (European Commission Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products – Alerts reported by EU national authorities).

The following 7 alerts regarding textile & leather products were reported, between week 30 and week 33 of 2021.

Type of Risk	Number of alerts	Notes
Chemicals	2	Clothing, textiles and fashion items The leather in the product contains chromium VI. It does not comply with the REACH Regulation.
Chemicals	2	Clothing, textiles and fashion items The product contains an excessive amount of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). It does not comply with the REACH Regulation.
Choking	4	Clothing, textiles and fashion items The small decorative elements on the product (the pebbles glued) can be easily detached. It does not comply with the General Product Safety Directive.
Injuries	1	Children’ s clothing The product has long functional cords in the waist area. It does not comply with the requirements of the General Product Safety Directive and with EN 14682.

Between 21 July and 20 August 2021, the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) published the following recalls: 6 recalls of textile & leather products.

Hazard	Number of alerts	Notes
Burn	2	Children’s pyjamas They fail to meet the federal flammability standards.
Choking	1	Sandals A plastic rivet can detach from the sandal’s ankle strap.
Fire	3	Rugs It fails to meet the federal flammability standard for carpets and rugs.