On October 18, 2011, the European Union published in the Official Journal a regulation to consolidate and expand three separate directives regarding the analysis of fiber compositions, use of textile fiber names, and related labeling of fiber composition of textile products. The regulation includes new rules for products containing non-textile parts of animal origin, explicitly states the responsibility of manufacturers, importers, and distributors for label accuracy, etc.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission published notice of the following voluntary recalls for October 25, 2011:
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has posted stakeholder presentations from its October 26, 2011 public meeting on possible alternative testing requirements for small batch manufacturers as well as written comments received to date on the topic.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has issued two notices reinstating and extending the regional Tariff Preference Level to September 30, 2012 for apparel sewn or otherwise assembled in one or more Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA) beneficiary countries (Ecuador and Colombia) from fabrics, fabric components formed, or components knit-to-shape from ATPDEA/U.S. yarns, etc. that are eligible to receive duty-free treatment under the ATPDEA, as specified in HTS 9821.11.251.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a fact sheet on its Importer Self-Assessment- Product Safety Pilot with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The goal of the pilot is to help importers ensure product safety compliance for commodities regulated by CPSC. CBP states that ISA-PS is a voluntary approach to product safety compliance, which provides recognition and support to participating companies.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted the three CBP points of contact for the Importer Self-Assessment program, and the CBP point of contact for the ISA-Product Safety (ISA-PS) Pilot with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), along with their phone numbers. CBP states that all importer self-assessment correspondence including annual notifications, memorandums of understanding, and account update information may be sent to these parties at the following address: CBP, Office of International Trade, Chief Partnership Programs Branch, 1400 L Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20229-1143.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission published notice of the following voluntary recalls for October 20-21, 2011:
Commissioner Moore of the Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a departure statement in light of his scheduled term-end on October 31, 2011. He said that October 19 marked his last participation in a public meeting. He also referenced ongoing budget concerns, praised staff for their excellence over the years, and stated that all Commissioners have the same goal of product safety despite their recent "intense" policy debates. With Moore's leaving, the Commission will at least temporarily have two Democratic and two Republican Commissioners, which could increase the likelihood of tied votes.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced its weekly meeting on October 26, 2011 in which the staff briefs the Commission on various compliance matters. The meeting is closed to the public, and the agenda is confidential.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a press release on its October 19, 2011 vote to issue four significant and related notices regarding testing, certification, and labeling of consumer products. Chairman Tenenbaum and Commissioners Moore and Adler issued a joint statement stating the votes marked a "monumental" day for safety, and Commissioner Nord issued a statement saying certain of the rules were overreaching, costly, and only nominally related to consumer safety.