On August 5, news came from the Guangdong Provincial WTO/TBT Notification and Consultation Center that since the European Chemicals Agency began to enforce unified management of biocides (BPR) in the EU market at the beginning of this year, BPR has recently Regulations have been updated again. According to the requirements of the new regulations, the EU will integrate the rules for the use and placing on the market of biocide products, and restructure the EU’s technical trade measures system for biocide products. This will be another impact on textile shoes in Guangdong and even the whole country. A major trade barrier for the export of dozens of categories of products, including clothing.
According to incomplete statistics, the average annual export volume of products subject to the supervision of BPR regulations in Guangdong Province to the EU is nearly US$800 billion. The implementation of BPR regulations will not only have a huge impact on health pesticide-related production and export enterprises, but also have a huge impact on textiles, clothing, furniture, footwear, leather, kitchen and bathroom products, toys, lamps, plastics and rubber, which must be treated with biocides. Dozens of types of paints, coatings, and mechanical and electrical products have had a major impact.
It is understood that the unreasonable use of biocides can cause allergic reactions and other health hazards in the human body, and will also have a great impact on the environment. At present, my country has not yet established unified regulatory regulations for preservatives and antibacterial agents used in industrial products such as textiles, shoes, and clothing. The implementation of the EU BPR regulations will make active substance licensing and biocide product authorization fees extremely expensive. It will not only add additional burdens to some Chinese chemical companies exporting biocide active ingredients, but its scope of impact will expand to my country’s export enterprises use antibacterial agents and preservatives in dozens of categories of textile, footwear and clothing products.
First of all, companies exporting dozens of types of products such as textiles, shoes and clothing treated with biocides will be affected by extensive trade barriers. The BPR regulations include “biocidal treated articles” within the scope of regulatory control. For the textile industry, as long as it directly or indirectly provides textiles with antibacterial and antiseptic functions to the EU market, it needs to pass more through the supply chain than before. product information and enforces its strict labeling system.
Secondly, it is very easy to trigger a chain reaction. As one of the most developed economies in the world, the EU has very strict chemical regulations and supervision. It plays a leading role in the world and is easily followed and imitated by other countries and regions. Not only developed countries, but also developing countries are following suit and establishing their own chemical regulatory mechanisms. Once BPR regulations are widely followed by various countries, it will have a greater impact on the export of biocides and treatment items in Guangdong and even the country.
At the same time, it also makes it more difficult to export my country’s biocide products. Under the BPR regulations, all biocidal products must undergo active substance review and obtain authorization from the European Union or its member states. At the same time, it is stipulated that the companies conducting the evaluation must share the data costs of similar applied products, which allows the original companies to “Free riding” to avoid paying data charges is prohibited. Enterprises have to face high response costs including data fees, administrative fees, agency fees, miscellaneous fees, etc. Relevant surveys show that biocide companies in Guangdong Province are mostly small and medium-sized enterprises and are weak. If they are unable to cope with BPR regulations, they will have to become affiliated suppliers of authorized EU importers.
In this regard, Sun Ximin, director of the Standards Department of the Science and Technology Development Department of the China National Textile and Apparel Federation, called on the majority of textile companies to strengthen research on biocides and harmful substances in treatment items in Europe and the United States, and actively join hands with upstream companies to Strengthen source control and jointly respond to the challenges brought by BPR regulations.
