Maintaining compliance for apparel, footwear and home textile products could become more seamless with the latest information on restricted chemicals.
The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) released the 19th edition of its Restricted Substance List (RSL), an open-industry resource that includes additions and changes to the laws and regulations that ban certain chemicals in finished apparel, footwear and home textile goods worldwide. The RSL aims to foster better chemical management in apparel, footwear and home textile supply chains worldwide and enable companies in these sectors to execute better environmental practices.
“The RSL is an essential resource for professionals tasked with chemical management in the apparel and footwear industry, and we thank the support and contribution of the AAFA members that make up our incredible RSL task force,” said Rick Helfenbein, chief executive officer and president of the AAFA. “We gladly provide this as a free resource for the industry to help ensure that all products are safe for consumers.”
The RSL, which was created by the AAFA’s RSL Task Force, covers 12 categories with more than 250 chemicals and is updated regularly to reflect international regulation modifications. For each substance, RSL discloses the chemical name and color index name, the restriction or maximum limit on final product or tested component, the regulation, the test method and the countries that maintain equal or less restrictions. The RSL is not structured to cover industrial textiles, automotive textiles or toys and does not include restrictions related to chemicals used in packaging.
This update includes changes to test methods and regulations for various chemicals, including arylamines, dioxins & furans, flame retardants, pesticides, phthalates and solvents.
Members of the Global Apparel, Footwear and Textile Initiative, an intitiave that brings brands, factories, mills and retailers together to set standards globally for the apparel, textile and footwear industries, together created recommended test methods for certain chemicals where the test methods are not stipulated by the regulations on the list. AAFA said this is an ongoing process and that test methods will continue to be included in future releases of the RSL.
To download the updated RSL, click here.