The history of the textile industry is quite long, but it's incredible! Today, the production of fabrics and finished products can still pose serious risks to human health and the environment. As global consumer awareness of the need to prevent harmful chemical residues such as PFAS and BPA has increased dramatically, and governments have implemented more stringent production and marketing regulations for products such as clothing, footwear and hosiery, the textile industry, which is at the front-end of the supply chain, has been entrusted with the heavy responsibility of monitoring product safety.
For Taiwan's cross-border sellers and cross-border brands, these complex and ever-changing international regulations are not only a challenge, but also a necessary threshold to enter the global market. For example, did you know that the U.S. classifies all textile products according to their flammability? The U.S. categorizes all textiles into three levels of flammability, and if your goods are categorized as Level 3 (fast burning), they cannot be sold in the U.S. at all! This critical information may directly determine the success of your product in reaching your target market.
SGS will reveal the most common and mandatory regulatory requirements and related test certificates in the major textile markets:
In terms of international standards, the GRS Global Recycling Standard (GRS) is the most comprehensive recycling standard for recycled products. The recycled material content must be more than 20% in order to apply for certification, and the audit covers four major items. In contrast, the RCS Recycling Declaration Standard has a lower threshold, as long as the recycled material content exceeds 5%. Bluesign is a stringent standard set by a number of European Union organizations. Obtaining Bluesign signifies that the product is supplied in a manner that is fully compliant with environmental, health and safety standards.
Compliance requirements in the U.S. market are particularly stringent. The CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) affects all children's products, and manufacturers must perform testing and submit a Children's Product Certificate (CPC) before they can enter the market. The most eye-opening part is that California's Proposition 65 lists more than 900 banned and restricted chemicals, including BPA and PFAS, which are commonly found in fabrics. In addition, the U.S. has special regulations for functional apparel and textiles that claim to be fire- or water-resistant, and all textiles are categorized into three levels of flammability, with Level 3 products completely unavailable in the U.S.
The EU market is subject to the REACH Restricted Chemical Substances Directive and the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) requirements. In case you didn't know, POPs can be dispersed globally by air, water or migratory species, and are therefore strictly regulated by international conventions and EU regulations, which require that the concentration of listed substances in a product should be below the regulatory limits.
In the Asian market, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan has implemented the "Law Concerning the Regulation of Household Goods Containing Hazardous Substances"; in Taiwan, there is the CNS 15290 L1036 standard, which regulates the safety requirements for various types of textile products; and in Mainland China, all textile products sold there must comply with the relevant standards of GB or FZ, and are subject to on-going market inspections.
As global business interactions become more frequent, understanding and complying with these regulations has become a key element in building consumer trust, brand credibility and sustainability. Aligning the textile supply process with national regulations not only meets consumer expectations, but also serves as a benchmark for the industry on important issues such as innovation and sustainability.
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# Cross-border E-commerce # Textile Regulations # Amazon Global Store # Sustainable Development # Taiwan Sellers # Brand Protection # International E-commerce # Compliance Policies
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