AAFA Lists "Restricted Chemicals and Substances" in Textiles & Footwear
The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) published the eleventh of its Restricted Substances List (RSL), which provides information on regulations and laws that restrict or ban certain chemicals and substances in finished home textile, apparel, and footwear products around the world. The AAFA releases the list twice a year.
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List Focuses on "Finished Product" Restrictions
The RSL includes only those materials, chemicals and substances that are restricted or banned in finished home textile, apparel, and footwear products because of a regulation or law. (It does not include regulations that restrict the use of substances in production processes or in the factory; rather the focus is on whether or not the substance can be found in finished home textile, apparel, and footwear products at a certain level.)
The RSL includes the following substances:
| Arylamines | Asbestos | Metals |
| Disperse Dyes | Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases | Organotin Compounds |
| Solvents | Dioxins & Furans | Miscellaneous Chemicals |
| Pesticides | Flame Retardants | Phthalates |
CAS numbers, Common Names, and Countries that Regulate Listed
For each material, chemical or substance, the RSL identifies the following features, as applicable:
- Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) number
- Common chemical or color name
- Restriction Level
- Country where that Restriction/Limit is found
- Test Method
- Other countries that maintain equal or less restrictions
- Comments (if applicable)
Changes to 11th Edition Involve Disperse Dyes, Flame Retardants, Etc.
The eleventh edition reflects changes to arylamines, disperse dyes, flame retardants, metals for textiles, leather and metal parts, miscellaneous chemicals, and, Appendix I and Appendix II.
(According to AAFA, no changes were made to solvents, pesticides, asbestos, fluorinated greenhouse gases, dioxins and furans, organotin, compounds, phthalates, metals for plastic and surface coatings and the glossary.)
Does Not Cover All Safety Regulations or Products
AAFA said the RSL is not intended to address product safety regulations outside the chemical management area, such as Consumer Product Safety Commission regulations related to small parts. It is also not structured to cover toys, automotive textiles, other industrial textiles, packaging or related materials.
In addition, the list does not include two pieces of legislation which may warrant evaluation for applicability but were not included as they do not involve regulatory concentration limits: EPA legislation on ozone depleting compounds and California Proposition 65 which requires labeling for products containing chemicals known to the state to cause cancer.
The AAFA press release is available here