In order to protect aquatic life, EU member states have recently agreed to ban NPE (nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether) in textiles. The ban was passed through an anonymous vote and is expected to take effect next month.
The ban proposal was proposed by Sweden in 2013 and was supported by scientists at the European Chemicals Agency. In fact, although Europe banned the use of NPE in textile production 10 years ago, imported textiles still release this harmful chemical into the water environment when they are washed.
NPE will decompose stronger environmental hormones such as nonylphenol in the water. These substances will accumulate in the body of fish and damage their hormones, thereby affecting fish reproduction, growth and sexual development. However, NPE in clothing does not directly threaten human health. NPE has been used as a cleaning agent, dyeing agent and washing agent in the textile manufacturing process.
Greenpeace found in a 2011 study that two-thirds of clothing contained NPE, including many world-renowned clothing brands. Although the NPE content in these garments is low, this chemical can be a threat if it is ubiquitous in the natural environment.
Chemical components in textiles can enter the water environment as consumers wash them for the first and second time. Once adopted, the new ban will be effective for five years for textiles with NPE concentrations greater than or equal to 0.01%. But the ban will not apply to second-hand goods or recycled textiles, because the chemical content contained in them has become almost negligible after multiple washings. Garment factories and textile companies have protested to the European Chemicals Agency, saying the chemical is widely used in the supply chain, making it difficult to comply.
