Customers ask about chemicals in our clothing

Chemical limits for clothing and other textiles do not come from the textile labelling rules. Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 deals with fibre names, the labelling of fibre composition, non-textile parts of animal origin and fibre analysis (Article 1). The limits come from REACH, Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006. Under Article 67(1), a substance in an article for which Annex XVII contains a restriction shall not be placed on the market unless it complies with that restriction.^[2][1]

Several Annex XVII entries are written for textiles. Entry 43 forbids the use of azo dyes that can release the aromatic amines in Appendix 8 above 30 mg/kg in textile and leather articles that may come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin or mouth, such as clothing, bedding, towels, hats, footwear, gloves and handbags, and such articles may not be placed on the market unless they conform (points 1 and 2). Entry 46a forbids nonylphenol ethoxylates at 0.01 % by weight or more in textile articles that can be expected to be washed in water, since 3 February 2021. Entry 61 forbids dimethylfumarate above 0.1 mg/kg in any article.^[1]

Entry 72, applying since 1 November 2020, sets limits for the CMR substances in Appendix 12 in clothing and related accessories, in other textiles with skin contact similar to clothing, and in footwear, when they are for consumers. The limits are measured in homogeneous material: for example 1 mg/kg after extraction for cadmium, chromium VI, arsenic and lead compounds, 5 mg/kg for benzene, 1 mg/kg for several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and 75 mg/kg for formaldehyde. The entry exempts natural leather, fur and hide, non-textile fasteners and decorations, second-hand items, wall-to-wall carpets and rugs, and products under the PPE and medical devices regulations; disposable textiles are exempt from the limb for textiles other than clothing (points 3 to 5).^[1]

The newest entry for textiles concerns a group of PFAS. Entry 79 restricts PFHxA, its salts and PFHxA-related substances. From 10 October 2026 they may not be present at 25 ppb or more for PFHxA and its salts, or 1 000 ppb or more for related substances, measured in homogeneous material, in textiles, leather, furs and hides in clothing and related accessories for the general public, or in footwear for the general public. Other consumer textiles follow from 10 October 2027. Articles placed on the market before each date are exempt. Personal protective equipment against certain category III risks, medical and in vitro diagnostic medical devices and construction textiles are excluded (point 3). Entry 68 has restricted C9-C14 PFCAs in articles since 25 February 2023, at 25 ppb for the acids and their salts and 260 ppb for related substances. Entry 82 adds a wider PFAS definition, but in the consolidated text of 22 June 2026 it applies only to firefighting foams.^[1]

Customers often mix these limits with substances of very high concern. Article 33 is a separate duty: a supplier of an article containing a Candidate List substance above 0.1 % weight by weight gives recipients the substance name and safe-use information, and consumers on request. When you communicate, note that from 27 September 2026 presenting legal requirements that apply to all products in the category as a distinctive feature of your offer is listed as an unfair commercial practice (Directive 2005/29/EC Annex I point 10a).^[1][3]

The chemical limits do not replace the general safety duties. Clothing has no product-specific harmonisation act. The REACH restrictions apply alongside the General Product Safety Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2023/988, so manufacturers and importers follow both: the restriction, and the GPSR's risk analysis, technical documentation, identification and address duties (Articles 9 and 11).^[4]