Brussels, Belgium
The REACH4texiles project aims at exploring
solutions for fair and effective market surveillance on textile products and
welcomes collaboration with concerned authorities across the EU Member States.
The
two years project will share best practices, identify efficient approaches
against non-compliant products, offer training and support for a more effective
surveillance and for level playing field.
It
has three objectives:
?
Keep
non-compliant products away from the single market
?
Increase
skills and knowledge
?
support
a Network addressing chemicals in textiles and applying the EU regulation
2019/1020
Every
year, about 28 billion garments circulate across Europe, 80% of which are
imported from outside the EU and its jurisdiction. Such huge volumes pose
enormous challenges for market surveillance authorities which are called to ensure
that uncompliant dangerous products are kept away from the EU citizens.
The
European Union has the world’s most comprehensive chemical legislation to
protect consumers, the environment and the competitiveness of the business.
Evidence suggests that such advanced regulatory framework is not completed with
an equally advanced or effective EU-wide control system capable of ensuring
compliance, especially in the case of imported products.
Challenges
may include lack of resources, difficulties in identifying higher risk
products, cost and management of chemical tests, lack of test methods and
knowledge of best practices. More knowledge about the identification of risk
bearing textile products and REACH chemicals, etc. can increase the
effectiveness of market surveillance considerably. This was the motivation for
the REACH4Textiles initiative.
Supported
by the European Commission DG Growth, the project team is
coordinated by the Belgian test and research center Centexbel, the European
Textiles and Apparel industry confederation, EURATEX, the German national
textile and fashion association Textile und Mode, T+m, the Italian association
Tessile e Salute. Several other European industry associations and national
authorities are welcomed to become involved through the project
activities.
Source: EURATEX
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