The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) in South Korea has published two Notices of Revision, No. 2017-16 and 2017-17, in January 2017 regarding their safety standards for infant’s textile products subject to Safety Confirmation Act and children’s textile products subject to Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity Act respectively. The new amendments will be effective from February 1, 2018.
In general, all textile products for infants are regulated under the Special Act on Safety Management of Children’s Products – Enactment of Common Safety Standards of Children’s Products and Safety Confirmation Act Annex 1 – Textile Product for Infants. Products must be tested and certified by local authorized Korean testing and inspection institutions and the approved Korea Certification Mark (KC Mark) must be attached on the products before distribution to the Korean market. In accordance with Notice 2017-16 [1], the major amendments on infant’s textile products include changes to the requirements on restricted substances:
Addition of NP and NPEO with total concentration less than 100 mg/kg in infant’s textile products
Addition of total cadmium with concentration less than 75 mg/kg in infant’s textile products
Change the requirement of Disperse Dyes from “Prohibited” to “50 mg/kg (each)” in infant’s textile products
Table 1 – Updated Consolidated Requirements for Infant Textile Products
ITEMS | REQUIREMENTS - Infant (< 36 months) | |
---|---|---|
Formaldehyde | 20 mg/kg | |
Organotin Compounds | Dibutyltin (DBT) | 1.0 mg/kg |
Tributyltin (TBT) | 0.5 mg/kg | |
Azo Dyes (24 items) | 30 mg/kg (each) | |
Phthalates (DEHP, BBP, DBP, DINP, DNOP, DIDP) | 0.1% (total) | |
Flame Retardants (TDBPP, PentaBDE, OctaBDE) | Prohibited | |
Dimethylfumarate (DMFu) | 0.1 mg/kg | |
Total Lead | Coating / Painting / Plastic: 90 mg/kg Metal: 300 mg/kg | |
Total Cadmium | 75 mg/kg | |
Nickel Release (all metal parts) | 0.5 µg/cm2/week | |
Allergenic Disperse Dyes (22 items) | 50 mg/kg (each) | |
pH Value | 4.0 – 7.5 | |
Soluble Heavy Metals
| Sb: 60 mg/kg, As: 25 mg/kg, Ba: 1,000 mg/kg, Cd: 75 mg/kg, Cr: 60 mg/kg, Pb: 90 mg/kg, Hg: 60 mg/kg, Se: 500 mg/kg | |
NP / NPEO | 100 mg/kg (total) | |
Cords and Drawstrings | Compliance | |
Small Parts | No small part (as received and after abuse test) | |
Harmful Magnet | FAIL if >50 kG2mm2 and incompliance in small part test | |
Sharp Point / Sharp Edge | No sharp point / No sharp edge (For children products < 96 months only) (as received only) |
Infant and children’s leather products and children’s textile products are regulated under the Special Act on Safety Managements of Children’s Products – Enactment of Common Safety Standards of Children’s Products and Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity Act Annex 1 – Leather Products and Annex 15 – Textile Products. The manufacturer or importer shall confirm conformance by self-test or test conducted by a third-party service provider (ISO 17025 accredited labs) for existence of any hazardous substances. The inspection agency shall verify the standard compliance according to the Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity Act. In accordance with Notice 2017-17 [2], the major amendments on infant and children’s leather products and children’s textile products include changes to the requirements of restricted substances
Addition of NP and NPEO with total concentration less than 100 mg/kg in children’s textile products
Addition of total cadmium with concentration less than 75 mg/kg in children’s textile products
Change the requirement of Disperse Dyes from “Prohibited” to “50 mg/kg (each)” in children’s textile products
Change the requirement of Cr VI from “0.5 mg/kg” to “3 mg/kg” in infant’s leather products
Table 2 – Updated Consolidated Requirements for Infant and Children’s Leather Products
ITEMS | REQUIREMENTS | ||
---|---|---|---|
Infants (< 36 months) | Children (≥ 36 months to ≤ 13 yrs) | ||
Formaldehyde | 20 mg/kg | 75 mg/kg | |
Chlorinated Phenols (PCP) | 0.5 mg/kg | 5.0 mg/kg | |
Chromium (VI) | 3.0 mg/kg | ||
Azo Dyes (24 items) | 30 mg/kg (each) | ||
Dimethylfumarate (DMFu) | 0.1 mg/kg | ||
Phthalates* (DEHP, BBP, DBP, DINP, DNOP, DIDP) | 1000 mg/kg (sum) | ** 1000 mg/kg (sum) | |
Organotin Compounds | Dibutyltin (DBT) | 1.0 mg/kg | -- |
Tributyltin (TBT) | 0.5 mg/kg | 1.0 mg/kg | |
Total Lead | Coating / Painting: 90 mg/kg Metal / Plastic: 300 mg/kg | ||
Total Cadmium | 75 mg/kg | ||
Nickel Release (all metal parts) | 0.5 µg/cm2/week | ||
Soluble Heavy Metals -Infant: For all polymer / paper substrates, and any painting / coating -Children: Products intended to be placed in mouth | Sb: 60 mg/kg, As: 25 mg/kg, Ba: 1,000 mg/kg, Cd: 75 mg/kg, Cr: 60 mg/kg, Pb: 90 mg/kg, Hg: 60 mg/kg, Se: 500 mg/kg | ||
Harmful Magnet | FAIL if >50 kG2mm2 and incompliance in small part test | ||
Small Parts* | No small part (for infant products < 36 months) (for products targeted for children between 36 and 72 months, a warning label should be displayed when small part test fails) (as received and after abuse tests) | ||
Cords and Drawstrings | Compliance | ||
Sharp Point / Sharp Edge* | No sharp point / No sharp edge (for children products < 96 months only) (as received only) |
Note: * Labeling Requirement for Children Products
** DEHP+BBP+DBP: 1000 mg/kg for children products not intended to be placed in mouth
DEHP+BBP+DBP+DIDP+DNOP+DINP: 1000 mg/kg for children products intended to be placed in mouth
Table 3 – Updated Consolidated Requirements for Children’s Textile Products
ITEMS | REQUIREMENTS - Children (≥ 36 months to ≤ 13 yrs) |
---|---|
Formaldehyde | 75 mg/kg |
pH Value | 4.0 – 7.5 |
Azo Dyes (24 items) | 30 mg/kg (each) |
OrganotinTributyltin (TBT) | 1.0 mg/kg |
Dimethylfumarate (DMFu) | 0.1 mg/kg |
Phthalates* (DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIDP, DNOP) | ** 1000 mg/kg (sum) |
Total Lead | Coating / Painting / Plastic: 90 mg/kg Metal: 300 mg/kg |
Total Cadmium | 75 mg/kg |
Nickel Release (all metal parts) | 0.5 µg/cm2/week |
Flame Retardants (TDBPP, PentaBDE, OctaBDE) | Prohibited |
Allergenic Disperse Dyes (22 items) | 50 mg/kg (each) |
Soluble Heavy Metals
| Sb: 60 mg/kg, As: 25 mg/kg, Ba: 1,000 mg/kg, Cd: 75 mg/kg, Cr: 60 mg/kg, Pb: 90 mg/kg, Hg: 60 mg/kg, Se: 500 mg/kg |
NP / NPEO | 100 mg/kg (total) |
Cords and Drawstrings | Compliance |
Harmful Magnet | FAIL if >50 kG2mm2 and incompliance in small part test |
Small Parts* | No small part (for infant products < 36 months) (for products targeted for children between 36 and 72 months, a warning label should be displayed when small part test fails) (as received and after abuse test) |
Sharp Point / Sharp Edge | No sharp point / No sharp edge (for children products < 96 months only) (as received only) |
Note: * Labeling Requirement for Children Products
** DEHP+BBP+DBP: 1000 mg/kg for children products not intended to be placed in mouth
DEHP+BBP+DBP+DIDP+DNOP+DINP: 1000 mg/kg for children products intended to be placed in mouth
Other amendments:
“Safe Quality Mark Act” has been renamed as “Supplier’s Suitability Confirmation Standard” subject to Quality Management and Safety Control of Industrial Product Act for textile and leather products designated for ages over 13 years old, Annex 1 – Household Textile Products and Annex 3 – Leather Products.
Reference:
SGS SafeGuardS No. 209/15 [3]
SGS SafeGuardS No. 210/15 [4]
SGS Global Softlines has an extensive network of over 40 laboratories worldwide, with a strong team of committed professionals from multi-disciplinary backgrounds. Our internationally accredited state-of-the-art testing laboratories offer a comprehensive range of physical, chemical and functional testing services for components, materials and finished products. We help your company ensure quality, performance and compliance with international, industrial and regulatory standards worldwide. Discover more at www.sgs.com/softlines.
For enquiries, please contact:
Louann Spirito
Director Technical Support, Softlines
t: +1 973 461 7919
Stay on top of regulatory changes within your industry: subscribe to SafeGuardS!
Read more articles for the Consumer Goods and Retail industry
© SGS Group Management SA - 2017 - All rights reserved - SGS is a registered trademark of SGS Group Management SA. This is a publication of SGS, except for 3rd parties’ contents submitted or licensed for use by SGS. SGS neither endorses nor disapproves said 3rd parties contents. This publication is intended to provide technical information and shall not be considered an exhaustive treatment of any subject treated. It is strictly educational and does not replace any legal requirements or applicable regulations. It is not intended to constitute consulting or professional advice. The information contained herein is provided “as is” and SGS does not warrant that it will be error-free or will meet any particular criteria of performance or quality. Do not quote or refer any information herein without SGS’s prior written consent.