NoC287/36 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 4.11.92
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveontheapproximation ofthelaws,regulations
andadministrative provisionsoftheMemberStatesrelatingtolabellingofthematerialsused
inthemaincomponentsoffootwearforsaletothefinalconsumer(2)
(92/C287/10)
On26March1992,theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle100AoftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal
TheSectionforProtectionoftheEnvironment ,PublicHealthandConsumerAffairs,which
wasresponsibleforpreparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon
2June1992.TheRapporteurwasMrsElstner.
Atits298thPlenarySession(meetingof1July1992),theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionbyamajorityvote,withsevenvotesagainstandthree
abstentions .
2.Generalcomments
2.1.TheCommitteewelcomestheCommission's
movetoaddresstheproblemoffootwearlabelling.A
labellingDirectivecouldfurtherCommunityfreetrade
infootwearandtheprovisionofconsumerinformation
onfootweararticles.TheCommitteeseesmaterials
labellingasanimportantfirststeptowardstheintro­
ductionofstandardizedconsumerinformationonfoot­
wear.1.GistoftheCommissionproposal
1.1.TheCommissionhaspresentedaproposalfor
aCouncilDirectiveonfootwearlabellingwhichis
designedto:
—informtheconsumeraboutfootwearcomponents ;
and
—promotefreetradeinfootwearwithintheCom­
munity.
1.2.Theproposalisbasedonexperienceswithfoot­
wearlabellingincertaincountries,particularlyin
FranceandSpain.InviewoftheforthcomingSingle
Market,theCommissionisproposingtheintroduction
ofaCommunitylabellingsystem,especiallyasother
MemberStateshavealsoexpressedaninterestinthis.
1.3.TheCommissiondraftmakesfootwearlabelling
mandatoryinaccordancewiththewishesofallthe
MemberStates.Thisrequirementisalsotoextendto
importsfromthirdcountries,whichaccountforsome
35%oftheCommunitymarket.
1.4.IntheCommission'sview,theproposalrep­
resentsacompromisebetweenthedifferentinterestsof
manufacturers andconsumers.Itdefinesthosepartsof
footweararticlesonwhichthematerialsusedaretobe
labelled.Thisinformationonthefootwearmustbe
providedintheformofpictogramsexplainedina
posterintherelevantnationallanguage(s)atthepoint
ofsale.
1.5.Theproposalisbroadinscope,coveringfoot­
wearmadeforawidevarietyofusesfromawide
varietyofmaterials.Onlyafewspecialfootweararticles
areexempt.2.2.TheCommitteewouldpointoutthatfootwear
qualityisdeterminednotbycomponentmaterials
alone,butalso,andtoalargeextent,bytheirprocessing
andcombination .Qualityfootwearmustpossesssev­
eralcharacteristics .Inadditiontomechanicalstrength,
thesemustincludewaterresistanceandhealth-related
characteristics—fit,water-vapourpermeabilityand
absorption,waterabsorptionanddischarge.TheCom­
mitteeregretsthelimitationoftheproposaltomaterials
labelling,sincethisisinadequateforaqualityevalu­
ationoffootwear.ItthereforecallsontheCommission
tosubmitalabellingproposalcoveringotherfootwear
characteristics inasecondphase.
Theformulationoftheseadditionalqualitycharacter­
istics,whichwillensuremoreinformativefootwear
labelling,canbelefttotheinterestedparties,i.e.pro­
ducersandconsumers .Thesemustbeabletohold
discussionsleadingtoagreementsembodiedinacode
ofpracticewhichformspartofthefootwearlabelling
Directive.Importsshouldalsobebroughtwithinthe
scopeofthelegislationbyincludingintheDirectivea
provisionspecifyingtheequalvalidityofagreements
onfootwearlabellingreachedbetweentheinterested
partiesatEClevel.
2.3.ThepictogramsproposedbytheCommission,
withtheexceptionoftheoneforleather,areasyet (*)OJNoC74,25.3.1992,p.10.

4.11.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC287/37
unfamiliartothegeneralpublic.Togeneratepublic
familiaritywithfootwearlabellingandthepictograms
asrapidlyaspossible,explanationshouldnotbecon­
finedtoposterdisplaysatthepointofsale.Thorough
informationshouldalsobeprovidedbymanufacturers ,
retailersandconsumerorganizations .
2.4.Legalbasis
TheCommitteeagreesthattheDirectiveshouldbe
basedonArticle1Q0A.
2.5.TheproposedlegalformofaDirective,which
mustbetransposedintonationallaw,wouldappearto
beappropriate .
3.Specificcomments
3.1.Article1
3.1.1.Itisproposedthattheterm'label'inpara­
graph5bereplacedby'labelling'.'Label'isgenerally
understoodtodenoteaslipofpaper,asewn-inpieceof
material,astickerortag.Thiswouldprecludeprinting
informationonthefootweararticleitself(sole)orlabel­
linganarticleattwoplaces.TheCommitteetherefore
suggeststhefollowingwording:'Informationonthe
compositionofthefootweararticleshallbeconveyed
inaccordancewiththeprovisionsofArticle4'.
'Label'shouldalsobereplacedby'labelling'elsewhere
intheDirective.
3.1.2.Paragraph5(l)(b)providesforlabellinginfor­
mationinrespectofbothliningandsocktogether.This
couldcauseproblemsforlabellersandmisinterpret­
ationamongconsumersifliningandsockaremadeof
differentmaterialsorifafootweararticleincorporates
asockbutnolining.Intheinterestsofprecisionand
clarity,theCommitteeconsidersitnecessaryforlining
andsocktobeidentifiedseparately.3.2.Article4
Paragraph5shouldalsomentiontheretailer'sresponsi­
bilityforthecorrectdisplayofthepostersprovidedfor
byarticle4,paragraph2.
3.3.Article5
TheCommitteewelcomestheopportunityforMember
Statestorecommendsupplementary informationin
theirlegislation.
3.4.Annex
3.4.1.Point1—Parts
Liningandsockshouldbeidentifiedseparately (see3.1
above).
3.4.2.Point2—Materials
Thepictogramindicatingothermaterialsrequires
urgentclarification .TheCommitteeassumesthatitis
intendedtodesignateallmaterialsnotsatisfyingthe
definitionsofleather,naturalandsynthetictextile
materialsandrubber.Thisgroupwouldthuscover
bothnaturalmaterials,suchaswood,naturalrubber
andcork,andsuchsyntheticmaterialsaspolypropylene
andpolyvinylchloride,althoughthedifferenceswould
notbeclearfromthelabelling.TheCommitteethinks
thatalabellingdistinctionisnecessaryandtherefore
proposesthedivisionof'othermaterials'intonatural
andsyntheticmaterials—eachwithitsownpictogram.
Thesyntheticmaterialspictogramcouldincorporate
therelevantinternationaltype-abbreviation inaccord­
ancewithISO1043(e.g.PAforpolyamide,PVCfor
polyvinylchlorideandPPforpolypropylene ).Thiswill
makeiteasiertoidentifythematerialfor,say,recycling
purposes.
DoneatBrussels,1July1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH