The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) has published PD CEN/TR 16417:2016 Footwear - Footwear industry guideline for substances of very high concern (Annex XIV of REACH).

The technical report indicates which substances of very high concern (SVHC) may be present in footwear materials. It is intended to provide guidance to the footwear industry in order to help shoe manufacturers to collect mandatory information from suppliers regarding the content of these chemicals.

The standard contains sections on which substances from the Annex XIV Authorization List are potentially present in the footwear industry. It reviews the list (at time of writing) and highlights which are the SVHCs for the footwear industry and which are not likely to be used.

The substances that are indicated in the REACH Annex XIV list for authorization can only be used in the EU with permission from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

The PD CEN/TR 16417:2016 document provides similar guidance for substances that are on the candidate list. The substances included on the candidate list up to the 16th June 2014 revision are covered.

There is a requirement for producers and importers of articles containing any of the substances included in the Candidate List to notify ECHA if both of the following conditions apply:

• the substance is present in those articles in quantities over one tonne per producer or importer per year, and
• the substance is present in those articles above a concentration of 0.1% weight by weight

The technical report, PD CEN/TR 16417:2016, does not provide any guidance for the substances that have been already been included and are subject to restriction under Annex XVII of REACH.

The technical report also contains an Annex that provides guidance on available test methods for the identification of SVHCs given in REACH - Annex XIV.

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• Textile, Apparel and Accessories testing
• Footwear and Material testing
• Handbag & Leather Goods testing
• Individual Protective Equipment (PPE) testing and certification
• Restricted substances testing

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