Ecuador Proposes Regulation on Textile Labeling

GENEVA - Aug. 26, 2013 - PRLog -- This technical regulation establishes requirements on the Technical Regulation of the Ecuadorian Standardization Institute (RTE INEN) No. 013 (1) for the labeling of apparel, home textiles and clothing accessories marketed in Ecuador, whether locally manufactured or imported, in order to prevent deceptive practices or to deceive consumers.

The information presented on labels must be expressed in Spanish (other languages without prejudice can also be present). The required information must be permanently labeled and must be visible, indelible and easily accessible to the consumer.  The information may be in one or more labels.

Requirements for Textile Products Labeling

The information required for Technical Labeling must be consistent with the provisions of the NTE INEN 1875 – “Textiles. Clothing. Requirements”, including:

- Size code for garments and clothing accessories
- Dimensions for household linen
- Percentage of textile fibers and / or leather used
- Trade name and tax identification number (RUC) of the manufacturer or importer
- Country of origin
- Care and maintenance instructions (instructions for care may be in symbols, in words, or combined)

The technical regulation does not apply to certain products such as:

- Household goods,
- work equipment,
- donations from abroad to entities authorized to receive such donations,
- items entering the country under diplomatic or embassy rules for use by diplomats,
- hair accessory items such as rubber bands, headbands, etc.

Requirements for the Import of Textile Products

Imports of certain textile and apparel products (e.g. clothing, sportswear, swimwear, pyjamas, gloves, scarves, belts, socks and other hosiery, curtains and bedding items, etc) must be accompanied by a certificate indicating compliance with the requirements of the Ecuadorian Technical Regulation. The certificate of conformity must be issued at the origin or destination by a certification body whose accreditation is recognized by the Ecuadorian Accreditation Organization (OAE).

Reference:

(1) Technical Regulation of the Ecuadorian Standardization Institute (RTE INEN) No. 013 (http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tbt/tbt_repository/ECU7_ES...)

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