Eco-textiles can help China remain top exporter

16 Mar '13

2 min read

In the coming years, it will become an inevitable choice for China to develop eco-friendly textile products to retain its position in international textiles and clothing trade.

In 2012, the EU Rapid Alert System (RAPEX) of Non-food Consumer Goods notified 1939 cases of substandard products. Of these, 1,116 cases pertained to Chinese products, accounting for 57.56 percent all notified cases.

According to Liu Shuang, the technical director of consumer testing of the project department under the Hangzhou Ruixu Technology Co. Ltd., among China's products under RAPEX notifications in 2012, notified cases of textiles totaled 337 cases, accounting for 30.2 percent of all notified products.

Among the notified Chinese textile products, strangulation caused by drawstrings near children's clothing hat or neck was cited as the main type of danger in majority of clothing.

The second type of danger was personal injuries, mainly caused by neck, back and waist ropes, designed in violation of safety requirements (EN 14682) for children's clothing ropes in EU countries.

Meanwhile, the EU OEKO-TEX Standard 100 would be formally implemented from April 1, 2013. The new standard will not only control the quantity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalates and alkylphenols, but will also take into account the updated regulations of EU REACH highly concerned substances (SVHC), including dimethyl fumarate and other substances in the monitoring list.

This means that all new textiles and clothing marketed in the EU market must comply with the requirements of the EU eco-textiles and REACH form April 1, 2013, onwards.

Hence, as the world's largest textile producer and exporter, it would become an inevitable choice for China to develop eco-textiles, in order to drive further growth of its international textiles and clothing trade.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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