The Commission protects Europeans from hazardous chemicals in clothing and textile items
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Chemicalsdate: 10/10/2018
Against this backdrop, the Commission today adopted new restrictions for the use of 33 substances known to cause cancer and reproductive health problems (so called CMR substances) for their use in clothing, footware and other textile articles. The new rules have been adopted by amending the REACH regulation - the most advanced and comprehensive chemical legislation in the world. The measures adopted today aim to protect the health of European citizens' by limiting their exposure to CMR chemicals, which may be particularly harmful in case of frequent contact with human skin.
These new rules set maximum concentration limits for the use of CMR substances in clothing and textiles and prohibit products exceeding these limits from being placed on the EU market, regardless of their origin of production. The restrictions have been prepared on the basis of scientific and technical recommendations by the European Chemicals Agency, and following broad consultations with stakeholders.
They will become applicable 24 months after publication of the regulation in the Official Journal of the EU. The Commission is also issuing an explanatory guide on the restriction, which will be available here after the publication in the Official Journal.