The proposal aims to restrict placing on the market of textile, leather, hide and fur articles containing skin sensitising substances. It may affect a very large number of substances, some of which with wide applications in textiles. The proposal also puts forward a “dynamic link” which would in the future automatically restrict any substance newly classified as a skin sensitiser without considerations on impact and substance specific evaluation. The Commission is expected to present the first draft of the proposal during the first half of 2024.
EURATEX Position
• In order to have an effective and enforceable restriction, the scope should focus only on the substances that are actually used in textiles
• Any new substance to be added to the restriction needs to go through an evaluation if it is used in textiles, threshold limits, analytical methods and alternatives
• Dyes which have no evidence of textile allergy by consumers should be excluded from the restriction
• Circular Economy priorities like recycling should not be disrupted and second-hand articles should be removed from the scope