EU countries agree textile chemical ban

EU member states have unanimously voted to ban the textile chemical Nonylphenol Ethoxylate (NPE) found in clothing as its poses an “unacceptable risk” to the environment.

The proposal was brought forward by Sweden in 2013 and backed by scientists at the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). It is expected that the European Commission will approve the ban within the next few weeks and it will take effect within five years, which means companies will not be able to import textiles containing NPE in concentrations equal to or greater than 0.01 percent.

The use of NPE in textile manufacturing in Europe was banned over 10 years ago, but the substance was still being released into the aquatic environment through imported textiles being washed, this ban aims to eliminate that risk to protect aquatic species.

According to Greenpeace, who have been campaign for this ban, NPE degrades in the environment into substances including nonylphenol (NP), a “persistent chemical” with hormone-disrupting properties that builds up in the food chain and is hazardous even at very low levels.

In 2011, Greenpeace highlighted the widespread use of NPE after it reported that it found the toxic chemical in two-thirds of the clothes it tested, including items sold by big name brands such as Adidas, H&M, Nike and Uniqlo.

Toxic chemical NPE banned in EU textile imports

Since the launch of the report, the environmental pressure group has been calling on clothing brands to remove hazardous chemicals from its supply chains and products by 2020 as part of its detox challenge. To date, 23 brands have signed up including Primark, H&M, Marks and Spencer, Adidas and Benetton.

Yixiu Wu, global detox campaigner at Greenpeace, said: “Hundreds of thousands of supporters have called on high street brands such as Gap, Nike, and Diesel to clean up their supply chain. This is a huge win for a cleaner, toxic free future.

“For manufacturing countries such as China, whose largest trade partner has been Europe for more than a decade, textile production relies heavily on exporting to the EU market, the clock is ticking to phase out NPE. China’s textile industry needs to be more progressive in identifying and banning harmful chemicals from their products otherwise the will lose a key market.”

Image: Greenpeace