Commercial Information Circulars
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e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk
Ref : EIC 111/2/20, EIC 111/4
14 June 2011
Dear Sirs,
Commercial Information Circular No. 340/2011
US : Labelling Requirements for Textiles Containing Organic Ingredients under the US National Organic Program
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a Policy Memorandum 11-14 dated 20 May 2011 entitled "Labeling of Textiles That Contain Organic Ingredients" to address the labelling requirements for textile products containing organic ingredients under the US National Organic Program (NOP). For details, please refer to the policy memorandum which is available at
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5090967. This latest policy memorandum superseded the NOP fact sheet entitled "Labeling of Textiles Under National Organic Program (NOP) Regulations" dated July 2008, which is now obsolete.
DETAILS
2. The US Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA) required the USDA to develop national standards for organically produced agricultural products to assure consumers that agricultural products marketed as organic meet consistent and uniform standards. The NOP, under the direction of the USDA, developed national standards for the production and handling of organically produced products and established an organic certification program. Details of the OFPA and the NOP are available at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateA&navID=NationalOrganicProgram&leftNav=NationalOrganicProgram&page=NOPNationalOrganicProgramHome&acct=AMSPW.
3. Some of the salient points of the latest policy memorandum are summarised below:
while the NOP regulations do not include specific processing or manufacturing standards for textile products, any textile product may be labelled as NOP certified "organic" and display the USDA organic seal if it is produced in full compliance with the NOP regulations;
textile products labelled as "organic" must be certified under third-party certification bodies, and all fibers identified as "organic" in these textile products must be produced and certified under the NOP regulations; and
textile products that are produced in accordance with the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) may be sold as "organic" in the US though they may not refer to NOP certification or display the USDA organic seal.
4.
The information provided in the policy memorandum does not supersede requirements of other US Federal and State laws. The NOP labelling requirements for textile products are in addition to those required by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Information on FTC's labelling requirements for textile products is available at
http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/textilejump.shtm.
5. Traders are advised to consult their importers in the US in order to comply with the necessary requirements.
ENQUIRIES
6. For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact Miss S Y Tang at telephone number 2398 5405.
Yours faithfully,
(Miss Bonny CHAO)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry
| Note : | While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same. |