AAFA publishes 22nd edition of the industry’s Restricted Substance List

The American Apparel & Footwear Association has published the 22nd edition of the Restricted Substance List (RSL). As an open-industry resource available to both AAFA members and the broader community, the RSL supports the industry by providing a reference of all banned and restricted chemicals and substances for finished apparel, footwear, accessories, and home textile products, identifying the most restrictive regulations worldwide. The report also offers an Appendix on Reporting that covers the U.S. states whose laws require reporting of chemicals in children’s products as well as European reporting rules.

“For 15 years, the AAFA RSL has been a 'go-to' resource, helping the entire industry ensure that the products being sold in stores are compliant and safe for consumers. It is a trusted solution to keeping track of complex, evolving, and crucial global regulations,” said AAFA President and CEO Steve Lamar. “It is with great pride that we continue to support product safety around the world with this tool, our regular Product Safety & Compliance seminars and webinars, and via priority initiatives led by AAFA’s dedicated Product Safety Council and the RSL Task Force.”

The 22nd edition of the RSL covers 12 categories with more than 250 chemicals and is updated to reflect additions or changes to regulations and laws that restrict or ban certain chemicals in finished apparel, footwear, and home textile products. First published in 2007, the RSL is produced by AAFA’s RSL Task Force, which reviews and updates the list regularly to reflect the latest global regulatory changes.

The RSL can be accessed here as both PDF and Excel.