AAFA releases 11th edition of Restricted Substances list

The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) published the eleventh edition of the AAFA Restricted Substances List (RSL), covering apparel, footwear, travel goods, home textiles, and other fashion accessories.  The updated RSL was released ahead of AAFA’s International Product Safety and Environmental Compliance Conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh, slated for December 5, 2012.  The list, which has become a go-to industry resource, together with a growing set of other chemical management tools, can be downloaded for free at the AAFA Web site.

"In a complex global supply chain, the U.S. apparel and footwear industry will find the updated AAFA Restricted Substances List to be a helpful tool as part of an overall robust chemical management program,” said AAFA Environmental Committee Chairman John Eapen, Vice President of Environmental, Health & Safety at America & Efird, Inc.   “We extend our gratitude to the AAFA Environmental Committee, the members of the RSL Task Force, and our RSL peer review group for their time and significant contributions to update this important list.”

"As the U.S. apparel and footwear industry continues to confront challenges posed by state, federal, and international chemical management and product safety requirements, the AAFA Restricted Substances List is just one of several tools AAFA offers to provide greater clarity,” said AAFA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke.  “The AAFA RSL can be a helpful resource for the industry as we pursue collaboration and harmonization of complicated rules and restrictions.   We are delighted to offer this tool to the industry for free.”

In an effort to foster greater harmonization among industry stakeholders, the AAFA RSL contains several new components, including the addition of Washington Children’s Safe Products Act requirements in the reporting annex, a link to the updated AAFA-member only AAFA RSL Covering California Proposition 65, and a link to the AAFA List of Non-Regulated Substances Contained in Apparel Footwear International RSL Management (AFIRM) RSL.

The AAFA RSL, first released in the summer of 2007, is the first of its kind.  The list covers chemicals and other substances whose presence in a product is restricted through a government regulation or law.  The list identifies the most restrictive iteration of that regulation worldwide.  Every six months, the publication is reviewed, updated, and the latest version is made available for free on the AAFA website.

This eleventh release has been updated to reflect changes spurred by the Washington Children’s Safe Products Act, as well as other state and international regulations.

The AAFA RSL is available in four languages: English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Spanish.

In addition to the global RSL, AAFA continues to offer training sessions and workshops on regulating restricted substances in apparel, footwear, travel goods, home textiles, and other fashion accessories, as well as on broader product safety, sustainability, and environmental compliance issues.