Softlines & Leather regulatory updates February 2023

EUROPE

Publication of the best available techniques for textile industry

Textile industry plants in the EU will have to comply with new legal requirements adopted under the EU Industrial Emissions Directive to reduce their environmental impact and in doing so become a more competitive and greener sector. This is inside the EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles.

For this reason, on 20 December 2022, the Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2508 was published, establishing the best available techniques (BAT) conclusions, under Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on industrial emissions.

The new Commission Implementing Decision affects the wet processing of textiles such as bleaching and dyeing, to finishing treatment. Other main points in these new legal requirements are:

• The emissions to air and water pollutants such as formaldehyde, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), dust, ammonia (emissions to air), or metals (emissions to water).
• Energy efficiency and resource efficiency (water consumption, chemicals consumption, waste generation).
• The search of chemical substances alternatives less dangerous for the environment and human.

The textile industry has four years to adapt existing installations. New facilities must comply immediately.

European Commission demands for France regarding waste sorting labelling

The provision of waste sorting information to consumers is not harmonised across Europe. Each country can adopt its own criteria according to the European Waste Framework Directive.

The imposition of national-specific labelling requirements can break the principle of free movement of goods and can lead to counterproductive environmental effects, such as the increase of materials and sizes of packaging because of additional waste information.

On 15 February 2023, the European Commission opened an infringement procedure (INFR(2022)4028) to France for the following reasons:

• The French law was not notified to the Commission at a draft stage, prior to adoption.
• An insufficient analysis of options for providing the sorting waste information/failure to look for other options that are less restrictive to trade between Member States.

The European Commission wants to ensure that the French waste sorting labelling complies with the principle of the free movement of goods.

The French authorities have two months to respond to the concerns raised by the Commission.

ITALY

Extended responsibility for textile producers in Italy

On 3 March 2023, the public consultation related to a draft decree which identifies obligations in the chain of textile products for clothing, footwear, accessories, leather goods, and home textiles was closed.

This draft decree aims to promote textile product sustainability and reduce the environmental impact of textiles. The Minister of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE), in agreement with the Minister of Enterprise and "Made in Italy", has in fact prepared a draft decree which, in line with the "National Strategy for the Circular Economy", introduces some important measures for the supply chain of textile products for clothing, footwear, accessories, leather goods, and home textiles.

The main points of this draft decree are:

• The producer takes charge of financing and organisation of the collection, initiation and preparation for re-use, recycling and recovery of waste deriving from textile products.
• The producer will be able to fulfill the obligations by setting up a management system in collective or individual form.
• The payment of an environmental contribution.
• The sustainability of the product; products suitable for reuse and repair, containing recycled materials, technically durable and easily repairable.
• Eco-design measures: the use of biocompatible textile fibers and natural materials, the elimination of dangerous components and substances, also with reference to microplastics released into the environment, the reduction of quality defects that make the consumer inclined to dispose of the item, and the use of fiber and fabric mixing techniques that favour multi-purpose adaptability and repairability.
• A digital labelling system that describes characteristics and fiber composition, indicating non-textile parts of animal origin.

Furthermore, the Coordination Center for Textile Recycling (CORID) has been set up. This comprises all the individual and collective management systems recognised by the Ministry.

For more information, consult the MASE ‘s website here.

US

Standards updates

See below a table summarising some recent ASTM standards updates:

PRODUCT RECALLS / ALERTS

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

Europe

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

The following 6 alerts regarding textile & leather products were reported between week 4 and 7 of 2023.

U.S.

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

From 26 January 2023 to 16 February 2023, the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) published the following recalls: 10 recalls of textile & leather products