The New European Ecological Criteria for Footwear

SHANGHAI, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The European Commission’s new ecological criteria and related assessment and verification requirements (2009/563/EC) for awarding the “EU Ecolabel” to footwear has come into effect.

Ecological Footwear

Decision 2009/563/EC effectively replaces Decision 2002/231/EC. Applications for ecolabel footwear submitted between 1 July 2009 and 31 March 2010 may be based on the criteria set out in either Decision. However, from 1 April 2010 onwards, only the criteria in Decision 2009/563/EC may be used in the evaluation and awarding of the EU Ecolabel award to footwear products.

The review of the criteria was conducted in accordance to Regulation (EC) No. 1980/2000, which requires that the awarding criteria be revised before the end of the validity period for each product group. The criteria are drafted by the European Union Ecolabelling Board (EUEB) and shall be valid until 4 July 2013.

For administrative purposes, the code number assigned to the product group ‘footwear’ shall be “017”.

IMPLICATIONS FOR FOOTWEAR MANUFACTURERS

The new criteria are aimed at promoting more durable footwear with lower environmental impact in the European Union. Occupational and safety footwear shall carry the EC mark in accordance with council directive 89/686/EEC, while all other footwear shall meet the requirements for flex resistance, tear strength, abrasion resistance, color fastness and restrictions on toxic chemicals as specified in Decision 2009/563/EC.

Under the new regulation, the EU Ecolabel may only be awarded to products that do not contain any electric or electronic component and which comply to specific limits on toxic residues and volatile organic compound emissions. In addition, the manufacturer must declare the amount of energy consumed in producing the footwear, and use at least 75% recycled material in the final packaging of the product (100% in the case of cardboard boxes).

The Decision also allows competent bodies to take into account the implementation of recognized environmental management schemes such as EMAS or ISO 14001 when assessing eco-label applications and monitoring compliance with the criteria.

HOW TUV SUD CAN HELP

TUV SUD has assisted footwear manufacturers to remain compliant to the frequently-evolving facets of the EU Ecolabelling criteria since the scheme was first announced in 1999. Our technical experts can help manufacturers achieve the distinguished EU Ecolabel mark through testing, inspection and consultation.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Faith Wang,
TUV SUD China
Tel：     +86-21-6141-0726
Fax：     +86-21-6140-8600
Mobile：  +86-136-3633-1456
Email：   haiyan.wang@tuv-sud.cn
Web site：http://www.tuv-sud.cn