Consumer Products | Monthly bulletin | February 2020
The United Kingdom has left the European Union
On the 1st February 2020, the United Kingdom left the European Union. At this moment there is a transition period until the end of 2020 while the UK and EU negotiate additional arrangements. The current standards and legislations for the UK and EU will continue to apply during the transition period. New legislations will take effect on the 1st January 2021.
For further general information about Brexit click here to visit the GOV.UK website.
Recent Publications made by the European Commission
The below table summarises recent publications made by the Official Journal of the European Union:
|
Date |
Reference |
Title |
|
12-12-2019 |
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2125 of 10 October 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards rules concerning the performance of specific official controls of wood packaging material, notification of certain consignments and measures to be taken in cases of non-compliance |
|
|
18-12-2019 |
Directive (EU) 2019/2161 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 amending Council Directive 93/13/EEC and Directives 98/6/EC, 2005/29/EC and 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the better enforcement and modernisation of Union consumer protection rules |
|
|
23-12-2019 |
European Parliament resolution of 13 September 2018 on implementation of the circular economy package: options to address the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation |
|
|
23-12-2019 |
European Parliament resolution of 13 September 2018 on a European strategy for plastics in a circular economy |
|
|
16-01-2020 |
Meeting of the subgroup on electronic cigarettes established by the group of experts on tobacco policy |
Please find below a table summarising recent regulation proposals made to the European Commission (Non-exhaustive):
|
Notification number |
Countries |
Title |
|
Austria |
Ordinance of the Federal Minister for Labour, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection amending the Lighter Ordinance (Lighter Ordinance Amendment 2020 – FZV 2020 [Feuerzeugverordnungs-Novelle 2020 – FZV 2020])
Update to the Lighter Ordinance with reference to the current version of EN 13869:2016. This standard specifies requirements for child-resistance |
|
|
Hungary |
Draft Decree on the safety of certain equipment, facilities and temporary structures for entertainment purposes, as well as sports equipment for entertainment purposes
The draft lays out the technical and safety requirements for the design, manufacture, construction, conformity assessment, operation, use, reconstruction, repair, renovation and technical inspection of equipment, facilities and temporary structures for entertainment purposes, as well as sports equipment for entertainment purposes |
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|
United Kingdom |
The Environmental Protection (Plastic Straws, Cotton Buds and Stirrers) (England) Regulations 2020
The draft regulations prohibit, in the course of a business, the supply of plastic straws and plastic-stemmed cotton buds to the end user, and the supply of plastic drinks stirrers |
Please see below a table summarising the most recent standards updates and upcoming dates of withdrawal (non-exhaustive):
(*) Date of withdrawal: latest date by which national standards conflicting with an EN (and HD for CENELEC) have to be withdrawn.
|
Reference |
Title |
Date of Withdrawal(*) |
Supersedes |
|
Paints and varnishes - Determination of percentage volume of non-volatile matter - Part 1: Method using a coated test panel to determine non-volatile matter and to determine dry-film density by the Archimedes principle (ISO 3233-1:2019) |
2020-06-30 |
||
|
Paints and varnishes - Determination of hiding power - Part 3: Determination of hiding power of paints for masonry, concrete and interior use (ISO 6504-3:2019) |
2020-06-30 |
||
|
Jewellery - Colours of gold alloys - Definition, range of colours and designation - Amendment 1 (ISO 8654:2018/Amd 1:2019) |
2020-06-30 |
|
The risk of water-absorbing gel beads
On the 26th December 2019, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) published a press release regarding water-absorbing gel beads and their associated risks as a result of several serious reported ingestion accidents, including one recent fatality, primarily involving children under five.
Click here to view the ANSES publication (in English and in French).
Standard Updates
See below a table summarising the most recent ASTM standards updates:
|
Reference |
Title |
|
Standard Performance Requirements for Plastic Chairs for Outdoor Use (Withdrawn 2019) |
|
|
Standard Specification for Athletic Performance Properties of Indoor Sports Floor Systems |
|
|
Standard Practice for Sampling and Handling Bisphenol A(4,4′ -Isopropylidinediphenol) |
New York passes Lead - containing jewellery law
Recently, the New York Governor signed Assembly Bill A6041 (S4046) into law to regulate lead content in children’s jewellery, which will be effective from the1st January 2021.
The law defines the age of children as those under-12 years old and also provides the definition ofjewellery. Also, this act amends the environmental conservation law to require a warning statement on jewellery with lead content greater than 40 parts per million (ppm) but less than 600ppm or a lower standard for lead content as may be established by federal or state law or rule.
The warning statement for children's jewellery shall contain at least the following:
"WARNING: CONTAINS LEAD. MAY BE HARMFUL IF EATEN OR CHEWED. COMPLIES WITH FEDERAL STANDARDS."
The label shall be placed on the jewellery itself or on its immediate packaging.
Inaccessible component parts of the children's jewellery are exempt from the warning requirement. Component parts exempt from third-party testing under Consumer Product Safety Commission are also not covered by this law.
Please click here for more information.
1,4-dioxane prohibited in cosmetic products and personal care products
On the 9th December 2019, the New York Governor signed the bill S.4389-B/A.6295-A that prohibits 1, 4-dioxane in cosmetic products, personal care products and household cleaning products. The aim of this measure is to prevent water contamination.
It will take effect on the 1st January 2022.
For more information, visit the New York State website here.
China publishes updated GB Standards
On the 31st December, 2019, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the Standardisation Administration of China (SAC) approved and released a total of 169 GB standards; some of which are closely related to our testing industry.
Leather and fur standards:
|
No. |
Standard No. |
Standard Name |
Superseded Standard |
Implementation Date |
|
1 |
GB/T 8427-2019 |
Textiles－Tests for color fastness－Color fastness to artificial light：Xenon arc |
GB/T 8427-2008 |
2020-07-01 |
|
2 |
GB/T 18319-2019 |
Textiles—Test method for solar heat storage property |
GB/T 18319-2001 |
2020-07-01 |
|
3 |
GB/T 19941.1-2019 |
Leather and fur—Determination of formaldehyde content—Part 1: High performance liquid chromatography method |
GB/T 19941-2005 (Part) |
2020-07-01 |
|
4 |
GB/T 19941.2-2019 |
Leather and fur—Determination of formaldehyde content—Part 2: Colorimetric method |
GB/T 19941-2005， GB/T 19941-2005 (Part) |
2020-07-01 |
|
5 |
GB/T 19941.3-2019 |
Leather and fur—Determination of formaldehyde content—Part 3: Formaldehyde emissions |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
6 |
GB/T 19942-2019 |
Leather and fur—Chemical tests—Determination of banned azo colorants |
GB/T 19942-2005 |
2020-07-01 |
|
7 |
GB/T 22798-2019 |
Test method for fiber shedding of towel products |
GB/T 22798-2009 |
2020-05-01 |
|
8 |
GB/T 22799-2019 |
Test method for absorption of towel products |
GB/T 22799-2009 |
2020-05-01 |
|
9 |
GB/T 22807-2019 |
Leather and fur—Chemical tests—Determination of chromium(VI) content: Colorimetric method |
GB/T 22807-2008 |
2020-07-01 |
|
10 |
GB/T 33610.1-2019 |
Textiles—Determination of deodorant property—Part 1: General principle |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
11 |
GB/T 33610.3-2019 |
Textiles—Determination of deodorant property—Part 3: Gas chromatography method |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
12 |
GB/T 38398-2019 |
Textiles—Filtration performance—Determination of most penetrating particle size |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
13 |
GB/T 38401-2019 |
Leather and fur—Chemical tests—Determination of dimethyl formamide content |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
14 |
GB/T 38402-2019 |
Leather and fur—Chemical tests—Determination of chromium(VI) content: Chromatographic method |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
15 |
GB/T 38403-2019 |
Leather and fur—Chemical tests—Determination of the preservative (TCMTB, PCMC, OPP, OIT) content: Liquid chromatography |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
16 |
GB/T 38405-2019 |
Leather and fur—Chemical tests—Determination of short-chain chlorinated paraffins |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
17 |
GB/T 38406-2019 |
Leather chemicals—Determination of tannin content in synthetic tanning agents |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
18 |
GB/T 38407-2019 |
Leather and fur chemicals—Determination of chromium (VI) and the reductive potential for chromium tanning agents |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
19 |
GB/T 38408-2019 |
Leather—Identification—Method of microscopy |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
20 |
GB/T 38409-2019 |
Leather—Chemical tests—Determination of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone（NMP) and N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone (NEP) content |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
21 |
GB/T 38410-2019 |
Leather chemicals—Determination of tannin content in tanning agent—Filter method |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
22 |
GB/T 38411-2019 |
Leather chemicals—Determination of the free formaldehyde in leather process auxiliaries |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
23 |
GB/T 38412-2019 |
Leather goods—General specification |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
24 |
GB/T 38413-2019 |
Textiles—Test methods for filtration of particulate matter |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
25 |
GB/T 38414-2019 |
Home textiles classification |
Initial |
2020-05-01 |
|
26 |
GB/T 38416-2019 |
Fur-Identification—Method of microscopy |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
27 |
GB/T 38419-2019 |
Textiles—Determination of Michler's ketone and Michler's base |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
28 |
GB/T 38421-2019 |
Fur—Detection of animal derived material—Qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
|
29 |
GB/T 38385-2019 |
Determination of disperse yellow 23 and disperse orange 149 dyes in dye products |
Initial |
2020-11-01 |
Metals:
|
No. |
Standard No. |
Standard Name |
Superseded Standard |
Implementation Date |
|
1 |
GB/T 14214-2019 |
Spectacle frames—General requirements and test methods |
GB/T 14214-2003 |
2022-01-01 |
|
2 |
GB/T 38441-2019 |
Pig iron and cast—Determination of chromium，copper，magnesium，manganese, molybdenum，nickel，phosphorus，tin，titanium，vanadium and silicon content—Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometric method |
Initial |
2020-07-01 |
Toys:
|
No. |
Standard No. |
Standard Name |
Superseded Standard |
Implementation Date |
|
1 |
GB/T 38415-2019 |
Determination of tetrabromobisphenol A and hexabromocyclododecanes content in toys—High performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry |
Initial |
2019-12-31 |
|
2 |
GB/T 38420-2019 |
Determination of bisphenol A migration in polycarbonate and polysulfone materials in toys—High performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry |
Initial |
2019-12-31 |
|
3 |
GB/T 38423-2019 |
Determination of total concentration of certain elements in toys |
Initial |
2019-12-31 |
|
4 |
GB/T 38424-2019 |
Determination of allergenic fragrances in toys—Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry |
Initial |
2019-12-31 |
The completed update can be found here (in Chinese).
Upcoming dates of application
As a reminder, the following standards and legislation will come into effect within the next six months:
- Legislations:
Manufacturers and importers should carefully consider these coming dates of application and confirm that their products comply with these restrictions:
-
- France: French Decree No. 2000-164 - on Bedding articles
Modification according to Article 7 of Decree No. 2019-1007 harmonising the regulatory provisions relating to the safety of certain non-food products. Transitional period of one year (since 1st October 2019) is planned to allow for the first products complying with the amended decrees, as previously drafted, to be placed on the market.
This legislation will apply as of 1st October 2020.
- France: French Decree No. 2000-164 - on Bedding articles
-
- Germany: AfPS GS 2019:01 PAK (voluntary)
For the issuance of GS marks for products, it is mandatory to apply the AfPS GS 2019:01 PAK document from July 1st, 2020 (date of issuance of the GS Certificate).
The document AfPS GS 2014:01 PAH will expire as of June 30th, 2020.
- Germany: AfPS GS 2019:01 PAK (voluntary)
