EU Member States Voted To Ban NPE In Textiles.

Recently, the British mainstream media "Guardian" announced that the European Union member states have voted anonymously before the ban on textiles banned nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (NPE) ban.

The ban has set a 5 year pition period. If the textile NPE content exceeds 0.01% (i.e. 100mg/kg) after the expiry, it will not be allowed to enter the EU market.

The news has attracted worldwide attention since it was reported. As a big exporter of textile and clothing, the ban will also have an impact on China.

NPE is a commonly used surfactant ingredient in industrial detergents and detergent products. It is widely used in textile industry and will remain in textile fibers.

NPE residues in clothing will not directly threaten human health, but NPE can enter the environment with the washing process.

NPE can easily decompose nonylphenol (NP) and other components in water.

NP is a recognized environmental hormone, which simulates estrogen, interferes with the sexual development and endocrine of organisms, and affects animal breeding. Even low concentration is also very harmful.

Moreover, NP can accumulate through the food chain, eventually leading to precocious puberty and a decline in reproductive quality.

Greenpeace, an international environmental group, conducted a survey on the NPE residue status of textiles in 2011 and released a public report on the naming in August of that year, saying that 2/3 of its clothing contained NPE, including many world-renowned brands.

Under the long-term efforts of all parties, the prohibition of NPE has attracted widespread attention, and many well-known garment enterprises have begun to work out plans to eliminate harmful chemicals.

The ban in the guardian is actually the revised draft of the REACH law referred to in the G/TBT/N/EU/280 notification issued by the EU in April 16, 2018 this year to the member states through the WTO website on the basis of environmental protection.

According to the draft, the EU will implement the NPE ban on imported textiles in addition to the repeated use of washed or used textiles.

In the context of the increasing demand for consumer goods "safety, health and environmental protection", such as bisphenol A storm and plasticizer events, has repeatedly hit the alarm for the manufacturing industry, and the control measures of all countries for NPE are also frequently increased.

As early as July 2012, Germany proposed the inclusion of nonylphenol in the REACH regulations, which was highly concerned about the list of substances. In December of the same year, nonylphenol was found in the eighth batch of highly concerned substances list, and was defined as potentially harmful to the environment.

According to the European Chemicals authority, the latest European Union's latest ban was put forward by Sweden in 2013 and strongly supported by scientists from the European Chemicals authority.

In 2013, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identified 8 NPE substitutes that met safety standards through the assessment plan, and in October 2014, the 15 categories of NPE chemicals were included in the "important new rules of use".

This means that the import and production of these substances need to be fulfilled 90 days in advance for strict reporting procedures, which will enable EPA to take effective NPE risk prevention measures.

Although the NPE harm has reached a consensus, the current stage of disabling NPE will still have a great impact on the development of textile industry.

After the European Union issued the ban, local enterprises have protested to the EU authorities that NPE is widely used in the supply chain and is difficult to comply with.

The technical level of China's textile industry still has a certain gap with the European Union objectively. Even though the new regulation has provided a pitional period of 5 years, China's export enterprises still have a long way to go.

Therefore, it is recommended that enterprises:

First, pay attention to the laws and regulations of safety, hygiene and environmental protection in time.

In recent years, the developed countries such as the European Union and the United States have continuously strengthened the control of harmful chemicals in consumer goods. Enterprises should pay close attention to the research developments of the European Chemicals authority and the EPA, and grasp the opportunities.

Second, strengthen the sense of social responsibility.

In the long run, it is an unavoidable social responsibility to eliminate substances harmful to environmental hormones in consumer products. Enterprises should increase investment in research and development of green consumer goods, improve production processes, reduce harmful emissions, accelerate pformation and upgrading, and win social respect.

Third, improve product inspection checks.

For residues of hazardous substances which are temporarily unable to be completely avoided for technical reasons, enterprises should strictly check the clearance so as to ensure that the quality of products meets the requirements of domestic and international regulations and standards, and avoid being notified or returned by foreign countries, resulting in economic losses.