It is estimated that between 4 and 5 million Europeans are allergic to chemical substances present in textile and leather goods, which constitutes an important health problem since once the allergy is developed it is maintained for life. On this basis, the Swedish Chemicals Agency (KEMI) and the French Agency for Food, Environment and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) have submitted a proposal to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to extend the REACH Regulation, which regulates the use of chemical substances in Europe.
In particular, the possible inclusion of a new entry in Annex XVII of REACH that would include all substances classified as skin sensitisers by the CLP regulation is considered. Approximately 1000 substances respond to this classification, for example: disperse dyes, nickel and its compounds, cobalt and its compounds, or 1,4 paraphenylene diamine, among others.
ECHA has accepted this Swedish-French proposal and is expected to open the public consultation period in June, followed by the risk assessment and the socio-economic analysis before sending its opinion to the European Commission to decide on its adoption. In any case, waiting to know how the proposal evolves, this initiative reflects the growing social interest in establishing guarantee mechanisms that control the health and safety of consumer products in Europe. From Sigillum Knowledge Solutions we will follow in detail any update on this subject due to its potential impact on the fashion sector.
More info: https://echa.europa.eu/es/registry-of-restriction-intentions/-/dislist/details/0b0236e182446136