New Footwear and Leather Labeling Requirements for Andean Community
New minimum labeling requirements introduced for footwear and leather goods in the Andean Community.
- (1888PressRelease) February 21, 2020 - A new Technical Regulation covering minimum labeling requirements for footwear, leather goods, travel and similar items, has been approved for Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, collectively known as the Andean Community.
Andean Technical Regulation No. 2017 was passed in November 2019. It sets out the minimum labeling information that must be included on footwear, leather goods, travel and similar items, to avoid consumers being misled.
Labels must contain, as a minimum, the following information (includes the permanency of the label):
a) Predominant material that constitutes the product - permanent
b) Manufacturer or importer’s identification - permanent or non-permanent
c) Size (only for footwear) - permanent or non-permanent
d) Country of origin or manufacturing - permanent
The regulation indicates the type of expressions that can be used for country of origin. Although similar phrases may be applicable, examples include:
“Hecho en …”
“Fabricado en…”
“Elaborado en…”
The predominant material must be determined by excluding accessories and purely decorative trims, eyelet rings, buckles, etc. For footwear, the label must include information on the predominant materials in the following key parts of the shoe:
• Upper
• Lining
• Insole - only materials that come into contact with the foot
• Sole
The predominant material is determined by what constitutes at least 80% of the surface area of each part of the shoe, and at least 80% of the volume of the insole. In cases where no single material meets this criterion, the two main materials used in that part will be entered, with the predominant one being the one with the most usage.
For leather goods, travel and similar items, the content information on the predominant materials refers to the following parts:
• Shell
• Lining (if there is no lining, it should be marked ‘unlined’)
The same rules are used to determine the predominant material.
Stakeholders should be aware that the Technical Regulation describes what information should be permanent and what can be contained on a non-permanent label. It does, however, include a provision that states a non-permanent label can be used when it is unfeasible to present the required permanent information by stamping, stenciling, sewing, printing or engraving.
The above information must be contained on one or more labels. It must be written in simple terms and must be indelible, legible, visible and easily accessible to the consumer. It must be written in Spanish, although additional languages, expressions, abbreviations, symbols or pictograms may be used.
It should be noted that additional or special information must not cover or distort the minimum information required. The Technical Regulation also states that corrections and updates with the new information cannot be superimposed over an original label.
Stakeholders manufacturing or importing ‘sets’ - two or more pieces - should note that all items should be labelled individually, even if they contain the same composition of materials. The exception is footwear. If it is manufactured to the same design and using the same material, the required information need only be presented on one of the pair, but the shoe size must be on both.
Technical Regulation No. 2017 comes into effect twelve months after it is published in the Official Gazette of the Cartagena Agreement.
SGS Softlines Services
SGS has a worldwide network of over 40 state-of-the-art laboratories specializing in testing of apparel, footwear and home textiles. Their committed team is drawn from multi-disciplinary backgrounds, allowing them to carry out a comprehensive range of physical, chemical and functional testing services for components, materials and finished products. SGS helps companies ensure quality, performance and compliance with international, industrial and regulatory standards worldwide. Learn more about SGS’s Softlines Services. [www.sgs.com/softlines]
SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full Andean Community Approved Technical Regulations on Labelling of Footwear, Leather Goods, Travel and Similar Items SafeGuardS. [www.sgs.com/en/news/2020/02/safeguards-02120-andean-community-approved-technical-regulations-on-labeling-of-footwear-leather]
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For further information contact:
Louann Spirito
Consumer and Retail — Softlines
US & Canada Softlines Business Head
Tel: +1 973 461 7919
Email: crs.media ( @ ) sgs dot com
Website: www.sgs.com/softlines
LinkedIn: sgs-consumer-goods-&-retail
About SGS
SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 97,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 2,600 offices and laboratories around the world.
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