Taiwan introduces a new labelling scheme for textile and clothing products. The legislation on Labelling Criteria for Textiles will enter into force by the 16.02.2007. The legislation on Labelling Criteria for Apparel and Garments will enter into force by the 16.08.2007. In both cases it is added the need to put the phone number of the importer/producer while the country of origin should be included as well as the care symbols .
Products covered:
Textiles:
9. Fabrics (clothing, upholstery), yarns & threads for crochet, knit, embroidery and sewing.
10. Bed sheetings, bedspreads, pillowcases, quilt covers, quilt, blankets, cover towelings, sleeping bags, pillows, mattresses, cushions, carpets, mats, towels and bath-towels.
11. Tablecloths, napkins, table pads, sofa covers, chair covers, curtains and draperies.
Garments:
1. Tops (shirts, suits, blazers, jackets, sweaters, vests and blouses), Bottoms (slacks, skirts and culottes).
2. Long apparel (dresses, coats, robes and formal wear).
3. Swimsuits, Underwear and Pyjamas.
4. Hosiery, handkerchiefs, ties, scarves, gloves and hats.
The Labelling Criteria for Textiles, Apparel and Garments were amended in August 2006 to add a requirement for the labelling of telephone numbers of manufacturers or importers so as to provide the consumers with the necessary information about the products. The labelling of this additional information is required to be labelled on the body of products in the form of sewing tags or hang-on tags or labelled on the inner or outer wrappers. In addition, the labelling of country of origin shall be made in the form of sewing tags, together with other information such as fibre contents and care instructions, in a manner that the tags are placed in a conspicuous place and the labelled information is not worn-out or becomes indelible after washing. The country of origin and other information shall also be labelled on the outside package for packaged textiles, apparel and garments.
Those measures, aiming at better informing the consumers, are regarded unclear and uncomfortable by the European traders. The requirement, that country of origin should be included on another label together with the care symbols is said to be not in line with the ISO standard in force.
Source: Euratex