Commercial Information Circulars

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e-mail address : tidenq@tid.gcn.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 230/4/2

27 September 2002

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 188/02

European Union (EU)* :Directive for A Community Ban on Azocolourants

Further to Commercial Information Circular No. 165/2002 of 20 August 2002, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU published on 11 September 2002 a Community directive to restrict the use of carcinogenic azocolourants in certain textile and leather articles and to prohibit the sale of such articles coloured with the restricted azocolourants. A copy of the Directive (2002/61/EC) is appended (pdf fomrat) to this Circular for reference.

DETAILS

2. As set out in Commercial Information Circular No. 165/2002, the Directive:

   1. aims to protect human health and improve consumer safety;
       

   2. bans the use of azocolourants releasing carcinogenic amines in textile and leather articles which may come into direct and prolonged contact with the human skin or oral cavity;
       

   3. prohibits the sale of textile# and leather articles coloured with the banned azocolourants. The following is an indicative list of these articles:

      • clothing, bedding, towels, hairpieces, wigs, hats, nappies and other sanitary items, sleeping bags,
         

      • footwear, gloves, wristwatch straps, handbags, purses/wallets, briefcases, chair covers, purses worn round the neck,
         

      • textile or leather toys and toys which include textile or leather garments,
         

      • yarn and fabrics intended for use by the final consumer; and

   4. tasks the European Commission to establish harmonised testing methods for detecting the release of carcinogenic amines and to review the provisions on certain azocolourants in the light of new scientific knowledge.

3. Member States are required to transpose the Directive into their national laws and put into effect the provisions of the Directive by 11 September 2003.

ENQUIRIES

4. For enquiries about the contents of this Circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5684.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Sandra SOU)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

* : The EU Member States are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

# : Subject to certain conditions (please see Annex), textile articles made of recycled fibres may be exempted from the ban until 1 January 2005.