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Labelling of textile products: 96/74/EC – EU Directive on Textile
Names (repealing EU Directive 71/307/EEC)
Scope of the Directive
Directive 96/74/EC, which was
published on 3 February 1997, creates a framework of rules governing the
labelling of products as regards their textile fibre content, in order to
ensure that the rules are harmonised EU-wide and consumers are kept informed.
Textile products may only be marketed within the EU where they comply with the
Directive.
All products containing at least 80%
by weight of textile fibres, including raw, semi-worked, worked,
semi-manufactured, manufactured, semi-made, or made-up products are covered in
the Directive and therefore require labelling whenever they are put on the
market for production or commercial purposes. Labelling indicating fibre
composition is mandatory in all stages of the industrial processing and
commercial distribution of a product.
Further, the Directive stipulates
a checking regime on whether the composition of textile products is in conformity
with the information supplied.
The Directive applies to:
- textile products exclusively composed
of textile fibres,
- products containing at least 80% by
weight of textile fibres,
- furniture, umbrella and sunshade
coverings, floor coverings, mattresses and camping goods, and warm linings
of footwear, gloves, mittens and mitts, provided that the textile parts of
such products constitute at least 80% by weight of the complete article,
- textiles incorporated into other
products.
Fibres Covered, Allowances for
Calculation and Exceptions
Annex I to the Directive lists
the textile fibres which are covered by the Directive. In this way, fibres
whose names and descriptions are contained in the Directive may be marketed as
such, or incorporated in other textile products, freely within the EU. Annex II
sets out the allowances used to calculate the mass of fibres contained in a
textile product. A list of exceptions to the mandatory labelling is provided in
Annex III (e.g. travel goods of textile materials, toys, flags).
The Directive does not apply to
textile products which:
- are intended for export to third
countries,
- enter Member States, under customs
control, for transit purposes,
- are imported from third countries for
inward processing,
- are contracted out to persons working
in their own homes or to independent firms that make up work from
materials supplied.
Composition of textile products
and authorised names
Annex I of the Directive provides
descriptions corresponding to textile names. These names may not be used for
any other fibres. The terms "virgin wool" or "fleece wool"
may be used only for products composed exclusively of a fibre which:
- has not previously been part of a
finished product,
- has not been subjected to any spinning
and/or felting processes other than those required in the manufacture of
that product,
- has not been damaged by treatment or
use.
These names may be used to
describe fibre mixtures subject to certain conditions. The full percentage
composition must be given in such cases.
For wool products, the tolerance
justified on technical grounds is limited to 0.3 % of fibrous impurities.
A product composed of two or more
fibres, one of which accounts for at least 85% of the total weight, must be
designated:
- by the name of the latter fibre
followed by its percentage by weight, or
- by the name of the latter fibre
followed by the words "85% minimum", or
- by the full percentage composition of
the product.
A product composed of two or more
fibres, none of which accounts for as much as 85% of the total weight, must be
designated by the name and percentage by weight of one of the two main fibres,
followed by the names of the other fibres. Fibres which account for less than
10% of the product's composition may be described:
- as "other fibres", or
- by their name, provided that the full
percentage composition of the product is given.
Products comprising a pure cotton
warp or a pure flax weft, in which the percentage of flax is not less than 40%,
may be given the name "cotton linen union" followed by the
specification "pure cotton warp - pure flax weft".
A quantity of extraneous fibres is tolerated, up to 5% of the total weight in
the case of products which have undergone a carding process, and 2% in other
cases. However, extraneous fibres must not be added as a matter of routine.
A manufacturing tolerance of 3% in relation to the total weight of fibres is
permitted between the percentage stated on the label and the percentage
obtained from analysis.
Higher tolerances may be authorised only in exceptional cases, where required
by manufacturing processes.
Visible, isolable fibres which are purely decorative and do not exceed 7% of
the weight of the finished product and fibres which are incorporated in order
to obtain an anti-static effect and which do not exceed 2% of the weight of the
finished product need not be mentioned in the fibre composition.
The Directive lists the items
which should not be taken into account in calculating fibre percentages for
textile products.
Separate directives will be adopted
in order to specify the methods of sampling and analysis to be used to
determine the fibre composition of products covered by the Directive.
Labelling
Textile products must be labelled
or marked whenever they are put onto the market for production or commercial
purposes. Where these products are not being offered for sale to the end
consumer, or when they are being delivered in performance of an order placed by
the State, labelling or marking may be replaced by accompanying commercial
documents. The names, descriptions and details of textile fibre content must be
indicated in these commercial documents. They must also be indicated on
products offered for sale to consumers.
With the exception of trade marks or the name of the undertaking, information other
than that required by this Directive must be quite separate.
Member States may require that their national language be used for the
labelling and marking required by the Directive.
A textile product composed of two
or more components which have different compositions must bear a label stating
the fibre content of each component.
Where two or more textile products have the same composition and form a single
unit, they need bear only one label.
The Directive contains specific
requirements for the labelling of:
- corsetry articles,
- etch-printed textiles,
- embroidered textiles,
- yarns consisting of a core and cover
made up of different fibres,
- velvet and plush textiles,
- floor coverings and carpets.
The Directive makes provision for
derogations for the labelling of certain textile products.
Placing on the market
Only textile products which
comply with this Directive may be marketed within the Community. Member States
may not prohibit or impede the placing on the market of textile products which
satisfy the provisions of the Directive for reasons connected with names or
composition specifications.
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