A Cut Ahead: Trending Textiles & Labeling Regulations In October 2024

This blog was originally posted on 21st October, 2024. Further regulatory developments may have occurred after publication. To keep up-to-date with the latest compliance news, sign up to our newsletter.

The textiles regulatory environment is ever-changing, especially considering chemical, labeling, and extended producer responsibility (EPR) issues that the industry faces today. With a 26% growth in textile regulations since 2020, its more important than ever to stay ahead of changing regulatory requirements.

To help you stay a cut ahead of textiles regulations, we gather some of the most interesting recent inquiries from Compliance & Risks customers around trending textile labeling regulations across the world.

Q1) Do we know when the French Ecoscore for textiles will be mandatory for the labeling of apparel?

The French ecoscore for textile products, established by the Climate and Resilience Law (Law No. 2021-11-4), is not mandatory yet. The government has launched the calculation tool Ecobalyse to calculate the environmental cost of products, which is still in draft form.

The final consultation on the labeling scheme was opened in April 2024 and ended in June. Any progress is monitored through this website by ADEME. The publication of the text is expected by the end of 2024, still on a voluntary basis.

There is no precise timeline, according to recent news it should not become mandatory before 2025. However, a new timetable is expected to be published soon on the ADEME website, which will probably provide more details regarding the next deadlines.

We monitor the situation and will update our database as soon as new information is available.

Q2) Could you please advise if ISO 3758:2023 is acceptable for use on care labels for products sold in the US now? We recall there was a proposed amendment to approve the use of ISO symbols, but the review process was terminated, and I’m unsure whether this proposal has been adopted or not.

Regarding the use of ISO 3758:2023 washing symbols for care labels on products sold in the US, the situation remains unchanged: only the ASTM symbols (ASTM D5489) are officially approved for use.

Therefore, using only ISO symbols without including the ASTM symbols or written care instructions may result in non-compliance with the US Care Labeling Rule.

Q3) Are there any exemptions from the new Californian Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme for companies that already manage an in-house textile recycling and takeback program?

Unfortunately, there is no exception in the new California Textile EPR Act for manufacturers who already have a textile recycling and takeback program.

The Act says: “Producers of covered products shall form and join a PRO for the purposes of complying with this chapter. […] All producers of covered products shall, by July 1, 2026, join the PRO approved by the department. […] A producer is not in compliance with this chapter and is subject to penalties pursuant to this chapter if a covered product sold or offered for sale by the producer is not subject to an approved PRO plan that has been approved by the department pursuant to Section 42984.8.”

However, under “Article 3. Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs)”, section (b)(L), a needs assessment shall include “Whether allowing more than one PRO would be beneficial in meeting the requirements of the chapter.” Considering this, CalRecycle might enable the establishment of further PROs in California. 

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