On 22 October 2015, the EU Commission commenced public consultation on a possible restriction of carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction (CMR) substances of categories 1A or 1B in textile products and clothing intended for consumers. The consultation closed with proposed next steps.
Due to the difficulty in defining the wide range of articles to be covered as well as the CMRs that could be potentially present in this group of articles, the Commission is recommending that a step wise approach be considered. The initial steps would limit the scope of the articles to those that may come into contact with the skin and include the substances from the list of CMRs that are most relevant to these articles. The articles where the exposure to consumers is considered most relevant includes: clothing, footwear and interior textile articles, such as bed linens. Clothing accessories, such as buttons, zippers, etc., as well as interior textiles with no or infrequent contact with skin and footwear made of leather will be excluded from consideration.
Before finalizing the restriction, the Commission will launch a second, shorter, public consultation on the draft amendment of Annex XVII.
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