EU will fully implement NPE ban on imported textiles
Reporters learned from relevant channels that recently, the European Union passed a ban on the use of nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (NPE) in textiles. The ban sets a five-year transition period, after which textile NPE content exceeds 0.01% (i.e. 100 mg/kg) and is not allowed to enter the EU market. Industry insiders believe that the ban will have a far-reaching impact on textile enterprises.
NPE is widely used in textile industry
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It is understood that NPE is a common surfactant component in detergents for industrial washing and cleaning products. It is widely used in textile industry and remains in textile fibers. NPE residues in garments do not directly threaten human health, but NPE can enter the environment with the washing process. NPE is easily decomposed into nonylphenol (NP) and other components in water. NP is a recognized environmental hormone, which mimics estrogen interfering with biological sexual development and endocrine, thus affecting animal breeding, even at very low concentrations. According to some studies, NP can accumulate continuously through the food chain, eventually leading to premature sexual maturity and the decline of reproductive quality.
To this end, the International Environmental Protection Organization (IEO) investigated the NPE residues in textiles in 2011 and published a public report in August that year, saying that two-thirds of clothing contains NPE, including many world-renowned brands. At present, banning NPE has attracted wide attention, and many well-known garment enterprises have begun to formulate plans to eliminate harmful chemicals.
It is understood that the EU ban is actually a draft revision of the REACH Regulation referred to in Circular G/TBT/N/EU/280 issued to Member States through the WTO website on April 16, 2018 on the grounds of environmental protection. According to the draft, the EU will fully implement the NPE ban on imported textiles, except for second-hand goods that have been washed many times or textiles that have been recycled.
