Proposed National Standards for Footwear Labeling in Ecuador

April 29, 2013 - PRLog -- The Ministry of Industry and Productivity (MIPRO) of Ecuador has notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of its intention to propose a Draft Technical Regulation of the Ecuadorian Standardization Institute (PRTE INEN) No. 080 “Labeling of footwear”(1). According to the document released by the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade of the WTO, such regulation shall enter into force six months after being published in the Official Journal (2).

The establishment of requirements in the Ecuadorian Technical Regulation on footwear labeling is to protect consumers from mislabeling. According to the draft Technical Regulation, all sales of footwear in Ecuador, either domestically produced or imported, must be properly labeled with a permanent, clear, visible, easy to read label containing the following information in Spanish (other languages without prejudice can also be present).

The permanent label must contain the following minimum information:

- Materials used in the manufacture of the four parts of footwear: uppers, lining, insole and sole
- Business name and tax identification (RUC) of the manufacturer or importer
- Country of origin

Materials used in the manufacture of the four component parts of the footwear must be expressed by using texts, pictograms or both. The permanent label must indicate the material that constitutes at least 80% measured from the uppers, lining and insole, and at least 80% of volume of the shoe sole. The permanent label must appear on both units in the pair of footwear.

A certificate of conformity is required for demonstration of compliance to the Ecuadorian Technical Regulation. The assessment and certification of compliance should be performed by entities duly accredited to the OAE (Ecuadorian Accreditation Organization) (http://www.oae.gob.ec/) or designated by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industries Quality and Productivity in accordance with the provisions of the Act Ecuadorian Quality System. Currently, there are no laboratories accredited for this purpose in Ecuador. The Certifying Body may use under its responsibility, data from a laboratory designated by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industries Quality and Productivity.

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Reference:
Draft Technical Regulation PRTE INEN No. 080
WTO Notification of Ecuador - ECU / 94

Please contact the SGS experts for more information on footwear labeling in Ecuador.

Contact details:

SGS Consumer Testing Services

Kris Wan
Global Softlines Development Office
SGS Hong Kong Limited
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Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong

t.: +852 27747492
Email: cts.media@sgs.com
Website: http://www.sgs.com/en/Consumer-Goods-Retail/Softlines-and-Accessories.aspx  

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