EU Fiber Directive Upgrade, New Regulations Take Effect in May

Recently, it was learned from the Ningbo Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau that the European Commission has issued a new fiber name regulation 1007/2011/EU in its official communique. It announced that new regulations will replace fiber names and fiber components from May of this year. Related Directives (2008/121/EC, 96/73/EC and 73/44/EEC).

The new regulation states that for any non-textile material derived from animals, the label must include supplementary instructions. This new requirement does not require the identification of product materials or specific species sources, but simply states on the label “non-textile materials containing animal origin”; “other fibers” are limited to a single-component content of no more than 5%. The sum of the components does not exceed 15%. In addition, the names of fibers that are not allowed to be used, those that meet the requirements of the “other fibers” are classified as other fibers; the markup language must be the official language of the region of sale.

The new fiber name regulation will take effect on May 8th. Products that meet the original directive and are put on the market before May 8, 2012 can continue legal transactions until November 9, 2014. After this date, the relevant products will exit the market or be subject to the latest regulations. All export companies and quality supervision departments should learn the regulations in a timely manner and seek response measures to ensure the smooth export of textile and apparel products.