The first mandatory national textile standards for children in China went into effect on International Children’s Day, Wednesday, June 1.
Spokeswoman for the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, Li Jing said “The standards are expected to guide manufacturers to improve the safety and quality of children’s clothing to ensure infants’ and children’s health and safety.”
The textiles have been grouped into two types:
- Materials for babies 36 months and below
- Materials for children aged 3 to 14 years old
New rules and updates include:
- These updated rules have been updated to enhance safety requirements and get rid of 6 plasticizers and 2 metals (lead and cadmium).
- “Clothes for infants and children under 7 are not allowed to have straps or rope around the neck or head” according to Dai Hong of the National Standardization Technical Committee
- No sharp points or edges seeing that many baby and childrens clothes are designed with accessories
Furthermore, based on varying criteria, there are three groups to consider:
- Class A – all textile for babies (infants)
- Class B – products designed for direct skin contact
- Class C – products not intended for direct skin contact
A two year transition period for compliance will go from June 1 to May 30, 2018 and under these new standards, a Class category must be included on the clothing in order for buyers to be aware.
“The transition period allows manufacturers to make technical improvements, and it gives sellers enough time to empty their inventory,” Dai said.
Several cities will play host to promotional activities which will serve to help the transition and make it as smooth as possible for sellers.
