On 30th October 2015, the Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) issued Circular No. 37/2015/TT-BCT stipulating content limits and testing procedure for formaldehyde and banned cleavage aromatic amines from azo dyes in textile products. The new Circular becomes effective on 15th December 2015 and supersedes Circular No. 32/2009/TT-BCT dated 5th November 2009.
The new regulation limits the residual content of formaldehyde and banned cleavage aromatic amines from azo dyes in textile products as summarized in Table 1.
Table 1: Test methods and requirements
| Test Item | Test Method | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Formaldehyde | TCVN 7421-1:2013 / ISO 14184-1:2011 | Textile products for children under 36 months of age: ≤ 30mg/kg |
| Textile products in direct contact with skin: ≤ 75 mg/kg | ||
| Textile products without direct contact with skin: ≤ 300 mg/kg | ||
| Azo Dyes | EN 14362-1:2012 / EN 14362-3:2012 Or | ≤ 30 mg/kg [22 items listed in Appendix 3 of the Circular (same items as listed under REACH)] |
Textile products that fall within the scope of the restriction are listed in Appendix 1 of the Circular. Untreated yarns and untreated fabrics are not subject to the regulation.
The regulation applies to manufacturers and individuals producing and importing textile products sold in the Vietnam market and MOIT organizations designated and authorized to participate in the state examination for the content of formaldehyde and azo dyes in textile products.
The inspection carried out by the authorized organization for imported textile products uses a specific sampling plan - regular sampling for testing, reduced sampling for testing, document review and random sampling for testing.
- Regular sampling for testing – in accordance with existing regulations.
- Reduced sampling for testing – for production of the same textile products supplied by the same supplier, which have passed three consecutive inspections and the shipments meet the quality requirements specified in the regulations.
- Document review – for textile products imported with a quality certificate, a recognized test report, enterprise quality control system that complies with the requirements prescribed in the regulations.
- Random sampling for testing – subjected to the approval from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, as supported from document review.
From 1st July 2016, the Vietnam customs authorities will only approve imported textile products for customs clearance that comply with the quality requirements for the acceptable limits of formaldehyde and azo dyes in textile products stipulated in the Circular and with shipment import records.
SGS Vietnam has been authorized by the MOIT as one of the labs to perform quality sampling, testing and certification in accordance with the Circular requirements for imported textile products in Vietnam market.
Reference:
News Release: [1]
Circular No. 37/2015/TT-BCT: [2]
SGS- SafeGuardS 161/15: [3]
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