Eurofins Softlines & Leather Monthly Bulletin (June 2021)

EUROPE

Public consultation on sustainable textiles is opened

On 12 May 2021, the European Commission opened a public consultation on the European strategy for sustainable textiles.

The textile industry ranks fourth in resources usage (primary raw materials and water) and fifth in GHG emission output. Furthermore, it is estimated that less than 1% of all textiles worldwide are recycled into new textiles.

This EU-led strategy aims to promote a circular economy, using various tools such as developing eco-design measures, creating a better business and regulatory environment, and facilitating the transition to a greener and digital approach.

The public consultation will be opened until 4 August 2021.

For more information, visit the European Commission’s website here.

Standards updates

The below table summarises the most recent standard 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(*) Date of withdrawal: latest date by which national standards conflicting with an EN (and HD for CENELEC) have to be withdrawn.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
EN ISO 18219-1:2021	Leather - Determination of chlorinated hydrocarbons in leather - Part 1: Chromatographic method for short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) (ISO 18219-1:2021)	31/12/2021	EN ISO 18219:2015
EN ISO 18219-2:2021	Leather - Determination of chlorinated hydrocarbons in leather - Part 2: Chromatographic method for middle-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) (ISO 18219-2:2021)	31/12/2021	EN ISO 18219:2015
EN ISO 2313-1:2021	Textiles - Determination of the recovery from creasing of a folded specimen of fabric by measuring the angle of recovery - Part 1: Method of the horizontally folded specimen (ISO 2313-1:2021)	31/12/2021	EN 22313:1992
EN ISO 2313-2:2021	Textiles - Determination of the recovery from creasing of a folded specimen of fabric by measuring the angle of recovery - Part 2: Method of the vertically folded specimen (ISO 2313-2:2021)	31/12/2021	EN 22313:1992
EN ISO 16186:2021	Footwear - Critical substances potentially present in footwear and footwear components - Determination of dimethyl fumarate (DMFU) (ISO 16186:2021)	31/12/2021	CEN ISO/TS 16186:2012

FRANCE

Technical publications

Please find below a table summarising the most recent technical publications (non-exhaustive):

Date	Entity	Title
19/05/2021	ANSES	Microplastics and nanomaterials Panorama of ANSES & ANR research, a report by the Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices "Microplastics and nanomaterials: research in environment and health".

U.S.

Standards updates

The table below summarises some recent ASTM standards updates:

Reference	Title
ASTM D3885 - 07A(2019)e1	Standard Test Method for Abrasion Resistance of Textile Fabrics (Flexing and Abrasion Method)
ASTM E3171 - 21e1	Standard Test Method for Determination of Total Silver in Textiles by ICP-OES or ICP-MS Analysis

CHINA

China publishes updated Standards

On 9 April 2021, the Standardisation Administration of China published the Announcement Nº 3 of 2021, in which 362 recommended national standards were approved. As a result of these recommendations, the standard GB/T 14272-2021 for down garments which replaces the previous version, GB/T 14272-2011, will come into effect on 1 April 2022.

INTERNATIONAL

Regulatory proposals notified to WTO

The table below summarises the most recent notifications made to the World Trade Organization (WTO) (non-exhaustive):

Notification number	Countries	Title
G/TBT/N/PER/131	Peru	Technical Document: Guidelines for the manufacture of reusable cloth face-masks for use by the community The notified Ministerial Resolution No. 558-2021/MINSA (Ministry of Health) is aimed at persons and companies involved in the manufacture of cloth face masks for use by the community to reduce the spread of the virus responsible for COVID-19. This is to establish parameters for the materials, design, manufacture, finishing, labelling, packaging and test methods of reusable face-masks for use by the community.

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 25 alerts regarding textile & leather products were reported, between week 21 and week 24 of 2021.

Type of Risk	Number of alerts	Notes
Chemicals	2	Wallet The leather in the product contains chromium VI. The product does not comply with the REACH Regulation.
Chemicals	2	Motorcycle gloves The product contains chromium VI. It does not comply with the Personal Protective Equipment and REACH Regulations and with EN 13594 and EN 420.
Choking	3	Children's sleeping bag The slide fastener (zip) could detach generating a small part. A child could put it in their mouth and choke. It does not comply with the requirements of the General Product Safety Directive and EN 16781:2018.
Entrapment, Injuries, Suffocation	1	Sleeping bag for babies The top of the slide fastener at the arm opening is placed on the top instead of bottom of the product. Furthermore, the neck opening is too large in relation to the child height/age. This can increase the risk of the baby slipping inside the sleeping bag and suffocating. In addition, as there are loops (a bow and a loop label) on the sleeping bag, the baby could entrap a finger in the bow. It does not comply with the requirements of the General Product Safety Directive and EN 16781:2018.
Injuries	1	Children's swing The knots of the rope may come loose, causing the rope to detach from the seat. As a result, the child may fall from the seat and suffer injuries. It does not comply with the requirements of the Toy Safety Directive and EN 71-8.
Injuries, Strangulation	8	Children's clothing: They include cords with free ends in the hood area and in the waist area. The cords may become trapped during various children’s activities, leading to injuries and/or strangulation. It does not comply with the General Product Safety Directive nor with EN 14682.
Strangulation	9	Children`s sweatshirt/jacket/raincoat with hood There are long functional cords with free ends in the hood of the sweatshirt. They can become trapped during various activities of a child, leading to strangulation. It does not comply with the General Product Safety Directive nor with EN 14682.
Suffocation	1	Infant Swing Infants who are placed unrestrained in the product and later found on their stomachs are at risk of suffocation. It does not comply with the requirements of the General Product Safety Directive.

Between 21 May and 20 June 2021, the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) published the following recalls: 1 recall of textile & leather products.

Hazard	Number of alerts	Notes
Entanglement	1	Jackets The puffer jackets have a drawstring located inside the lining of the bottom area of the garment which can become entangled or caught on playground slides, handrails, school bus doors or other moving objects, posing a risk of injury.