Textile Exports To EU Will Be Restricted By PFOS Directive, Zhejiang Textile Enterprises Respond Slowly.

China's textile export quota system, which was launched last year, has slowed down the pace of textile exports in Zhejiang.

Just after the end of the quota system at the end of 2007, a lot of small and medium-sized textile enterprises and other enterprises came to the end of the year. Recently, the bad news came out that the EU Directive on restricting the sale and use of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS directive) will come into effect in June 27th.

The directive stipulates that the content of PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonyl) compounds in the finished products sold on the European market should not exceed 0.005% of the total quality, which marks the EU's total ban on the use of PFOS in commodities.

After the implementation of the directive, the foreign trade enterprises that produce textile, leather and other products will be affected accordingly.

As a major export province of textiles and leather products, Zhejiang will face a "big exam".

It is understood that the EU PFOS directive is a "difficult problem" after the EU's restrictions on the content of azo dyes and heavy metals in textiles and leather products.

Experts said that foreign trade enterprises should not be too nervous. They should communicate with EU importers as soon as possible and take measures to deal with them.

According to the relevant professionals, PFOS is especially widely used in the textile industry. It is the main active ingredient of antifouling agents for textiles and leather products. A large amount of printing and dyeing and finishing textiles need to be washed by PFOS before processing. In addition, the additives used for functional finishing such as anti ultraviolet and antibacterial functions also contain PFOS, but it is the most difficult to degrade organic pollutants at present. It has high bioaccumulation and toxicity. It will not only cause respiratory problems, but also lead to the death of new babies. The global pollution caused by it is attracting increasing attention.

It is understood that the EU Directive on the sale and use of perfluorooctane sulfonate was jointly issued by the European Parliament and the Council of ministers in December 27, 2006. They defined PFOS as a substance that persists in the environment, has biological savings and is harmful to human beings.

In accordance with the EU Council's regulations on assessing and controlling the risk of existing substances, the United Kingdom submitted the PFOS risk assessment report to the European Commission and its strategy for reducing its harm and its impact assessment. The European Commission conducted a scientific review of the report and confirmed the danger of PFOS.

In December 5, 2005, the European Commission put forward proposals and instructions on restricting the sale and use of PFOS, and assessed the cost, benefits, balance and legality of the proposal.

The EU's directive on the sale and use of perfluorooctane sulfonate was officially promulgated and entered into force on December 27, 2006.

The directive stipulates that in the EU market, substances that contain substances or elements with PFOS content or quality equal to or exceeding 0.005% shall not be sold and put into operation. No finished products, semi-finished products and parts with PFOS concentration or quality equal to or exceeding 0.1% shall be sold.

In order to phase out the use of PFOS, the limits of instructions should be evaluated when new situations or safety substitutes are present.

However, there are exceptions in some cases. There are no restrictions on products used and used in the market. Photo resist materials such as photographic lithographic coating and aviation hydraulic products are not applicable to environment and human beings. This directive is not applicable. In the PFOS coating industry, the most advanced technology in the current stage is used to minimize emissions.