Labelling for clothing

In general, textile products must be duly labelled before being placed on the market. All the information on the labelling must appear in clearly visible and easily legible characters for the consumer, and it is compulsory that they appear, at least, in the official Spanish language.

What is a textile product?

Textile products are all those that are composed exclusively of textile fibres, as well as those that are made of textile fibres:

Products of which at least 80 per cent by weight consists of textile fibres.
Coverings for furniture, umbrellas and sun umbrellas and textile parts of floor coverings, wall coverings, mattresses and camping goods, as well as warm linings for footwear and gloves, containing at least 80 per cent by weight of textile materials.
Textile products incorporated into other products, where the composition of such products is specified.

Under these definitions, clothing is not excluded from the labelling obligation.

The mandatory information to be included on the label of textile products depends on the labeller, the type of textile product and its origin or provenance.

Products manufactured in EEC countries, and manufacturer’s label.
- Name or company name or denomination of the manufacturer and its address.
- Industrial Registration Number (NRI) of the Spanish manufacturer, if the product has been manufactured in Spain.
- Composition of the textile product, according to table I.
Products imported from non-EEC countries, and importer’s label.
- Name or company name or denomination of the importer and its address.
- Tax Identification Number (NIF) of the importer.
- Country of origin, in the case of countries that have not signed the Geneva Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.
- Composition of the textile product, in accordance with Table I.
Whether the trader (wholesaler or retailer) is labelled, irrespective of the origin or provenance of the textile product.
- Name or business name or denomination of the trader and his address.
- Registered trademark.
- Tax Identification Number (TIN) of the trader.
- Composition of the textile product, in accordance with Table I.

TABLE I. Textile product composition designation.

Núms.	Denominación	Descripción de las fibras
1	Wool ( 1 )	Sheep shearing fibre.
2	Alpaca, llama, camel, cashmere, mohair, angora, vicuña, yack, guanaco, cashgora, beaver, otter, whether or not preceded by the designation ‘wool’ or ‘hair’ ( 1 ).	Hairs of the following animals: alpaca, llama, camel, cashmere goat, angora goat, angora rabbit, vicuña, yack, guanaco, cashgora goat, beaver, otter.
3	Hair, or horsehair with or without indication of animal species (e.g. bovine hair, common goat hair, horsehair).	Hair of various animals other than those referred to in points 1 and 2.
4	Silk	Fibre derived exclusively from sericogenic insects.
5	Cotton	Fibre from the seeds of the cotton plant.
6	Miraguano	Fibre from the inside of the miraguano fruit
7	Lino	Fibre from the bast of the flax stalk.
8	Hemp	Fibre from the bast of the hemp stalk.
9	Jute	Fibre derived from the bast of Co’ chorus olitorius and Corchorus capsularis.
10	Abaca	fibre from the leafy sheaths of Musa textilis.
11	Esparto	Fibre from the leaf of Stipa tenacissima.
12	Coco	Fibre from the fruit of the Coco nucifera.
13	Broom	Fibre from the stem leader of Cytisus scoparios and/or Spartium junceum.
14	Ramio	Fibre from the bast of Boehmeria nivea and Boehmeria fenacissima.
15	Sisal	Fibre from Agave sisalana leaves
16	Sunn	Fibre from the stem lerum of Crotalaria juncea
17	Henequen	Fibre from the bast of the stem of Agave fourcroydes.
18	Maguey	Fibre from the bast of the stem of Agave cantala
19	Acetato	Cellulose acetate fibre of which less than 92 per cent but at least 74 per cent of the hydroxyl groups are acetylated
20	Alginato	fibre obtained from metal salts of alginic acid
21	Cupro	regenerated cellulose fibre obtained by the cuproammoniacal process
22	Modal	regenerated cellulose fibre obtained by a modified viscose process having a high breaking strength and high wetting modulus.
23	Proteínica	Fibre obtained from natural protein substances regenerated and stabilised under the action of chemical agents.
24	Triacetato	Cellulose acetate fibre of which at least 92 per cent of the hydroxyl groups are acetylated.
25	Viscosa	regenerated cellulose fibre obtained by the viscose process for filament and staple fibre.
26	Acrilica	fibre consisting of linear macromolecules having at least 85 per cent by mass of the acrylonitrile group in the chain.
27	Clorofibra	Fibre consisting of linear macromolecules whose chain consists of at least 50 per 100 per cent by mass of vinyl chloride or vinylidene chloride monomers.

28	Fluorofibre	Fibre formed from linear macromolecules obtained from fluorocarbon aliphatic monomers.
29	Modacrylic	Fibre consisting of linear macromolecules having more than 50 per 100 and less than 85 per 100 by mass of the acrylonitrile motif in the chain.
30	Polyamide or nylon	Synthetic linear macromolecule fibre having at least 85 per cent recurring amide functional groups in its chain attached to aliphatic or cycloaliphatic groups.
31	Aramid	Synthetic linear macromolecule fibre consisting of aromatic groups bonded together by amide and imide bonds which are at least 85 per cent directly linked to at least two aromatic nuclei and where the number of imide bonds, if any, does not exceed the number of amide bonds.
32	Polymide	Synthetic linear macromolecule fibre having recurring imide functional groups in the chain.
33	Lyocell (2)	regenerated cellulose fibre obtained by dissolving and spinning in organic solvent, without formation of derivatives.
34	Polyester	A fibre consisting of linear macromolecules having at least 85 per cent by mass of a diol ester and terephthalic acid in the chain.
35	Polyethylene	Fibre consisting of saturated linear macromolecules of aliphatic hydrocarbons, unsubstituted.
36	Polypropylene	Fibre formed from saturated linear macromolecules of aliphatic hydrocarbons, in which every second carbon carries a methyl branch, in isotactic arrangement, and without further substitution.
37	Polycarbamide	Fibre consisting of linear macromolecules with a repeating urea functional group (NH-CO-NH) in the chain.
38	Polyurethane	Fibre consisting of linear macromolecules which have a repeating urethane functional group in the chain.
39	Vinyl	fibre consisting of linear macromolecules in which the chain consists of polyvinyl alcohol with varying degrees of acetylation.
40	Trivinyl	Fibre consisting of acrylonitrile terpolymer, a chlorinated vinyl monomer and a third monomer, none of which makes up 50 per cent by mass.
41	Elastodiene	elastomeric fibre consisting either of natural or synthetic polyisoprene or of several dienes polymerised with or without one or more vinyl monomers which, when stretched by a tensile force to three times its initial length, recovers rapidly and substantially to that length as soon as the tensile force is released.
42	Elastane	Elastomeric fibre consisting of at least 85 per 100 per cent by mass of segmental polyurethane which, when elongated by a tensile force to three times its initial length, recovers rapidly to substantially the same length as soon as the tensile force is released.
43	Textile Glass	Fibre consisting of glass.
44	Name corresponding to the material of which the fibres are composed, e.g. metal, asbestos, paper, whether or not preceded by the word ‘yarn’ or ‘fibre’.	Fibres obtained from miscellaneous or new materials other than those mentioned above.

The composition may appear on a label other than those containing the above particulars.
Optional labelling.

In the event that non-mandatory indications or information are added to the labelling, such as «Preservation symbols» (see table II), «non-shrink», «fireproof», «waterproof», etc., these must be clearly differentiated.

Fixing of the labelling.

In general, and with the following exceptions, when textile products are sold with a wrapper, the labelling of the product must also appear on the wrapper itself, unless the labelling of the product is clearly visible.

For clothing and knitted or crocheted goods (with the exception of hosiery and hosiery) the composition label shall be made of any durable material, preferably of a textile nature. It shall be sewn or permanently attached to the garment itself and shall have the same service life. Each garment shall be labelled for each individual unit.

Prohibitions.

Prohibited:

The use of any advertising, promotion, display and sales procedure likely to create confusion in the mind of the purchaser as to the nature, composition and origin of textile products.
The use of any inscription, mark, design, or any mention that may evoke the idea of a specific textile fibre, when the product does not contain a proportion of said fibre equal to or greater than 85% by weight, with the exception of what is expressly stipulated in the regulations.
The use of derivatives, compounds, synonyms or trade names of textile fibres, when the name corresponding to each fibre is not indicated according to the names established in the regulations.
Using the fibre names provided for in the regulations, even as a root or adjective, to designate fibres that do not correspond to the definition, whatever the language used.

Applicable regulations.

Royal Decree 928/1987, of 5 June 1987 of the Ministry of Parliamentary Relations and the Government Secretariat, on the labelling of the composition of textile products (BOE no. 170 of 17/07/87)
Royal Decree 396/1990, of 16 March 1990 of the Ministry of Parliamentary Relations and the Government Secretariat, amending Royal Decree 928/1987 (BOE no. 74 of 27/03/90).
Royal Decree 1748/1998, of 31 July 1998, of the Ministry of Parliamentary Relations and the Government Secretariat, amending Annexes I and II of Royal Decree 928/1987, of 5 June 1987, on the labelling of the composition of textile products, with the aim of adapting them to technical progress.

TABLE II. Conservation symbols