REACH Annex XVII Entry 72 Formally Entered Into Force

Referred by the Article 67(1): “A substance on its own, in a mixture or in an article, for which Annex XVII contains a restriction shall not be manufactured, placed on the market or used unless it complies with the conditions of that restriction.”, EU member states have tough penalties for companies who fail to comply with the restriction requirements in Annex XVII of REACH regulation. Except for recall and withdrawal of the products from the market, fines are the common reacting measure by member states as well. As a company seriously violates the law, the company can face punishments such as fines and imprisonment at the same time.

There have been many updates for the Annex XVII of REACH since it came into effect. On October 12, 2018, (EU) 2018/1513 was published on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ), it added the 72nd entry which sets restrictions on thirty-three CMR 1A & 1B in textiles.

The highlights, inter alia, are as following:

• Restricted Substances: 
  • Thirty-three CMR 1A & 1B substances, including:
    • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
    • Cadmium and its compounds
    • Chromium VI compounds
    • Lead and its compounds
    • Phthalates, etc.
• Scope:
  • Clothing or related accessories, textiles other than clothing which come into contact with human skin to an extent similar to clothing under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use, or footwear
• Requirements:
  • The substances shall not be in a concentration equal to or greater than the regulated limits
• Enforcement Date:
  • November 1, 2020

Textile materials are widely used in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), such as headsets, watch straps, etc, as well as the accessories such as backpacks. Recently, with the growing of 5G technology, the development trend of virtual reality (VR) equipment is rapid where various textile materials will be used.

While the restricted requirements of Entry 72 of Annex XVII to REACH has formally come into force on November 1, 2020, and textiles other than clothing and footwear which come into contact with human skin to an extent similar to clothing under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use are within the restriction scope, the textiles used in headset, watches, virtual reality (VR) equipment, etc., come into contact with human skin to an extent similar to clothing, SGS suggests relevant enterprises pay attention to the requirements of this entry.

 

SGS can provide a wide array of services on REACH, as testing, training, consulting, process auditing, document preparation and other services to help you deal with these new green requirements more efficiently and effectively!

 

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