Labelling Update nr. 2, 2023
EU
- Revision of Reg. (EU) 1007/2001 on textiles fibres names and labelling
- Czech Republic: Nieuwe wetgeving care instructies Tsjechië leder
- GINETEX input on EU Digital Product Passport: Digitalisation textile care labelling
Global
- IAF stand on Digital Labeling, a Global Project
- Global brands put spotlight on textile mislabelling and fraud
The Netherlands
- Kabinet ziet ‘ecolabel’ voor kleding nog niet zitten, kijkt liever eerst naar Europa
Other
- Photonic labelling hailed as 'game changer'
EU
Revision of Reg. (EU) 1007/2001 on textiles fibres names and labelling
The European Commission is preparing a revision of Reg. 1007/2001 on textiles labelling. Currently, the Commission is working on an impact assessment to explore all the possible policy options to incorporate in the revised regulation.
Currently, as reported by the DG GROW, the elements that are being considered for inclusion in the scope of the revised regulation are:
- Current implementation and coherence issues
- Language indipendent symbols and codes
- Digital labels on fibre composition
- Sustainability and circularity features
- Origin ("made in")
- Care
- Presence of allergenic substances
- Flammability
- Organic origin
- Social label
- Leather and fur authenticity
In addition to the above-listed issues, the digitalisation of labels will be explored. As MODINT we will participate in this revision.
Next to the EU we have seen that there is a persistent lobby in the USA on digital labelling but so far no changes have been reported.
Mexico introduced the QR code in their fiber content legislation, but QR code can be done additional and not instead of physical labelling information.
Next to developments in fiber composition we also see legal labelling requirements related to Extended producer responsibility upcoming in various EU member states. France and Italy have introduced new labelling requirements which under certain requirements can be done by electronic means , e, g, internet site, QR code etc.
To conclude, there is a tendency to go for digitalization, but we are only at the start of this development towards legislation in which digitalization will be leading instead of lengthy care labels in textile products.
MODINT participates in a working group of EURATEX to give input on behalf of the textile and apparel sector. More information available at barberi@modint.nl.
Czech Republic: New legislation care instructions Czech Republic leather
MODINT has been alerted to the this draft standard. This is not the official standard, but a working document that will not changes much in practice. Parts 5 and 6 provide more details about what the labeling must comply with.
This document (prEN 17651:2021) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 289 “Leather”, the secretariat of which is held by UNI .
Modint has now joined this Technical Committee to stay directly informed.
The special thing is that the Czech Republic has immediately included this standard in their legislation as of 2023 (They refer to their law "Zákon č. 634/1992 Sb. - Zákon o ochraně spotřebitele" that is a CZ legislation effective from 6/1/2023).
MODINT is investigating whether this will or has happened in several EU countries. We received the following text from a company affiliated with MODINT, which they had obtained from a retailer that sells in several EU countries:
We have had a recent challenge from the Czech Authorities, in which they have informed us that our leather articles need to have “care” instructions which inform the customers how to maintain and elongate the life of these articles. They refer to their law "Zákon č. 634/1992 Sb. - Zákon o ochraně spotřebitele" that is a CZ legislation effective from 6/1/2023 .
The authorities specifically looked at leather belts and leather wallets, and state that these articles are missing “care instructions” according to the Czech Legislation. They have also provided a document about care of leather articles , which is general information about care of various types of leather. You can translate this with google , and it is only for your reference.
As this is a country specific law, we will need to comply and ask you to add the appropriate care instructions to ALL the Leather articles , which are best suited for the type of leather you are using . You might need to consult your factory and laboratory about this , to come up with the best possible simple/common solution for all leather articles that you supply to Action.And it goes without saying, that the “care instructions” will need to be translated and printed into all the 10 languages for the countries we sell in.Once you have finalized a care instruction/s , then we will need to send one example artwork to the authorities as reference to show what we are going to change for the future orders/deliveries. Keeping in mind the small dimensions of these leather accessories, we suggest to come up with instructions that are simple, short , and technically cover your responsibility to comply with the legislation while providing the customer with valid information to care for the product.
GINETEX input on EU Digital Product Passport: Digitalisation textile care labelling
The digitalisation of the textile care labelling is a subject of debate at the EU commission (Revision of the EU Textile Regulation) but also among other national associations. Some are suggesting a 100% digital care labelling for textiles, but others may recommend a more flexible proposition.
GINETEX formalizes its position in this regards – Please find enclose the document for the details. And in a few words, On one hand, the Digital Product Passport should provide background information on the textile product; On the other hand, we should keep textile care information & composition directly visible on the care label to ensure the direct communication of care instructions to the consumers, to the professional cleaners, and therefore avoid irreversible damages. The care instructions (either textile care labelling symbols or written information), should be directly accessible and are necessary for the maintenance, and the durability of the product. However, more details, explanations or tricks and tips on textile eco-caring could appear additionally in the Digital Product Passport if necessary, providing more culture to consumers.
Global
IAF stand on Digital Labeling, a Global Project
Together with AAFA, IAF is working on a global drive to move our industry towards digital labeling. For environmental and for practical reasons the current system, with often long and multiple layered physical labels that are regularly cut off by the consumer, needs to be changed. One of the impediments to change is government regulations, that in most countries and regions in the world still make it mandatory to provide a lot of information on a physical label.
AAFA and IAF have drafted a letter to be send by associations to governments all over the world pressing for change to these regulations. By now nearly a hundred associations in the apparel industry from all continents have signed this letter. The letter marks the start of a long global project in which the industry will collaborate to jointly define the best possible parameters for a modern garment labelling system.
Global brands put spotlight on textile mislabelling and fraud
Global apparel retailers are now realizing that what you see is not always what it seems and are seeking to verify the authenticity of their products from supply sources to protect themselves from fabric mislabelling and fraud. Many premium brands are implementing strict regulations and monitoring processes throughout their global manufacturing process to put an end to the mislabelling of a garment that claims to be what it is not, writes FashionatingWorld. Read more>>
The Netherlands
Kabinet ziet ‘ecolabel’ voor kleding nog niet zitten, kijkt liever eerst naar Europa
Het lijkt er niet op dat er op korte termijn een duurzaamheidslabel komt voor kleding. D66 stelde maandag in de Tweede Kamer voor om kleding, net als huizen, te voorzien van een duurzaamheidsscore. Het kabinet wacht echter op Europese voorstellen, meldt de Volkskrant. De Tweede Kamer debatteerde over een voorstel van D66-Kamerlid Kiki Hagen om de kledingindustrie te verduurzamen. Naast een ecolabel wil de partij ook dat het duidelijker wordt wat er gebeurt met een geretourneerd of niet-verkocht kledingstuk. Zo’n 6 procent van de gemaakte kledingstukken belandt niet bij een klant, maar wordt verbrand of gedumpt op vuilnisbelten. Slechts 1 procent van de wereldwijd weggegooide kleding wordt gerecycled. Lees meer (wellicht heeft u een inlog nodig om het complete artikel te kunnen lezen).
Other
Photonic labelling hailed as 'game changer'
Researchers say a new project which uses photonic fibres to weave invisible and indelible sorting labels into fabric could be a game changer for textile recycling.A team at the University of Michigan (U-M) is working on the project which they believe could reduce the amount of clothing and other textiles which currently go to landfill or incineration, writes Eco-Textile News. Read more (notice you may need a login to read the complete article).
