EU: Revision of EU rules on textile labelling

 

The EU is planning to revise its rules on textile labelling.  Recently, an impact assessment was published by the EU Commission and a public consultation was launched.

The existing Textile Labelling Regulation confines its rules to the fiber composition of textile products. This limitation has led to the emergence of divergent labeling requirements across Member States in various other labeling areas.

Consequently, this scenario has not only heightened the complexity of information presented to consumers, often with overlapping details but has also created divisions within the internal market and escalated compliance costs for businesses.

Moreover, the ongoing development of new fibers at an accelerated pace, coupled with advancements in recycling technologies, necessitates improved fiber identification. Presently, the anticipation revolves solely around physical labels, neglecting the accessibility and affordability of digital labeling technologies.

In alignment with its REFIT program, the European Commission is contemplating the implementation of a unified and consistent set of rules governing labeling requirements for textile and related products within the textile ecosystem across all relevant domains, including:

• apparel
• clothing accessories
• household/interior products

In light of the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, these requirements will have a particular focus on environmentally relevant information.

The review will seek to update Regulation (EU) 1007/2011 in order to:

1. a) Guarantee that consumers can obtain accurate, understandable, and comparable information regarding the textile and related products they acquire, without encountering any misleading details.
2. b) Simultaneously, achieve a harmonized approach at the EU level to minimize compliance expenses for businesses, ensuring regulatory clarity and consistency in accordance with existing legislation and upcoming regulatory advancements.

The public consultation can be accessed HERE.

To find out more about compliance for textiles in the UE and worldwide, please contact the Product Compliance Institute directly.