G/TBT/N/EU/280  
 
16 April 2015  
(15-2039)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member: EUROPEAN UNION 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible: European Commission 
Name and address (including telephon e and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above : 
European Commission 
EU-TBT Enquiry Point 
Fax: +(32) 2 299 80 43 E-mail: grow-eu-tbt@ec.europa.eu   
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/tbt/   
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10 .1 [ ], 5.6.2 [X], 5.7.1 [ ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applic able, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Textile articles which 
contain NPE (nonylphenol ethoxylates). For the purpose of the draft restriction, textile article 
means any unfinished, semi-finished or finished product that consists of at least 80% textile 
fibres by weight or any other product that contain a part which is composed of at least 80% textile fibres by weight 
5. Title, number of pages and langua ge(s) of the notified document: Draft Commission 
Regulation amending Annex XVII to Regula tion (EC) No 1907/2 006 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction 
of Chemicals (REACH) as Regards Nonylphenol Ethoxylates (4 pages + Annex 2 pages, in 
English). 
6. Description of content: The draft Regulation intends to prohibit the placing on the 
market of textile articles as defined under point 4 above which can reasonably be expected to be washed in water during their normal lifecycle if the content of nonylphenol 
ethoxylates (NPE) is equal or greater than 0.01 % by weight (i.e. 100 mg/kg).  
The draft Regulation provides for exemptions from the restriction for second hand textile 
articles and new textile articles produced exclusively from recycled textiles. 
The draft Regulation provides for a transition period of 60 months between the adoption of 
the restriction and its applicability in order to give sufficient time to producers of textiles articles to adapt their production processes so that they can comply with the restriction. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable: 
NPE have been detected in textile articles to which they have been added for fibre conditioning purposes, and, during reasonably foreseeable conditions of washing in water 
NPE may be released into the aquatic environment. Repeated exposure to NPE poses a risk 
to aquatic species present in surface water. The proposed restriction is expected to reduce emissions of NPE to water at a relatively low cost to operators in the textile supply chain 
because technically and economically feasible alternatives are already available. G/TBT/N/EU/280 
 
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  8. Relevant documents:   
 Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the Europe an Parliament and of the Council on the 
Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals 
(REACH Regulation): 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?qid=1423064258789&uri=CELEX:32006R1907  
 The opinions of the Committees for Ri sk Assessment (RAC) and Socio-Economic 
Analysis (SEAC): http://echa.europa.eu/docume nts/10162/b94f33a1-6afb-4091-
a3fa-b64303b88ed2  
 Further background information is available at: http://echa.europa.eu/previous-
consultations-on-restriction-proposals/-/substance-rev/1898/term  
9. Proposed date of adoption: Last quarter of 2015 
Proposed date of entry into force: Last quarter of 2015 (20 days from publication in the 
Official Journal of the EU (the restriction will apply from the end of 2020) 
10. Final date for comments: 60 days from notification 
11. Texts available from: Nati onal enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:  
European Commission 
EU-TBT Enquiry Point 
Fax: + (32) 2 299 80 43 
E-mail: grow-eu-tbt@ec.europa.eu  
The text is available on the Website: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/tbt/  
https://members. wto.org/crnattachments/2015/TBT/EEC/15_1614_00_e.pdf  
https://members. wto.org/crnattachments/2015/TBT/EEC/15_1614_01_e.pdf