Section 3 – Merchandise labeling requirements

Merchandise Labeling requirements at European Union level

Vendors are required to mark and label all merchandise in accordance with the European
Union Directives, Regulations and Requirements as well as relevant domestic laws of the
countries where the merchandise will be distributed and sold, dealing with, without
limitation, the classification, packaging and labeling, consumer protection, guarantees for
consumer goods, language, composition, wash and care instructions, product liability.

THIS CHAPTER ONLY PROVIDES A SUMMARY OF THE MAIN EU REGULATIONS

APPLICABLE AT THE DATE OF THIS MANUAL. THERE ARE HOWEVER SEVERAL LOCAL
COUNTRY REQUIREMENTS WHICH MAY APPLY IN ADDITION TO THE EUROPEAN
REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COVER ALL SPECIFIC LOCAL
COUNTRY REQUIREMENTS IN THIS MANUAL.
VENDORS ARE REQUIRED TO CAREFULLY CHECK LOCAL REQUIREMENTS AND ENSURE
COMPLIANCE

Moreover, special labeling requirements are applicable to certain categories of product,

such as footwear and textile maintenance and care products.

General labeling requirements, applicable to all merchandise

items

1. Country of Origin indication on all merchandise

The country of origin marking is required on all articles and must be in accordance with EU
and local country regulations and requirements. The marking must be in English, French,
Spanish and Portuguese (but please consult section 3.5. regarding languages),
permanent, legible and conspicuous to the consumer. The country of origin marking must
not be obstructed by tags, tickets or packaging. Any item individually packed in a polybag,
must have the country of origin labeling on the bag, if it is not visible through the bag.

The country of origin must appear in the following places, for the following merchandise
items:

Footwear
On the individual footwear item as well as at the end of the individual sale carton in which
the footwear is packaged.

Shirts, Sweaters, Jackets, Tops and Coats

A fabric label; sewn into the garment at the center of the nape of the neck
Please note: any item individually packed in a polybag, must have the country of origin
labeling on the bag, if it is not visible through the bag.

Trousers, Shorts, Other Bottoms

A fabric label sewn into the waistband of the pants at the center of the back of the waist.

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 Section 3 – Merchandise labeling requirements

Socks, Hosiery
On the tag or label on the outside of the pair of socks.

Accessories
On the accessory item, in the same vicinity as the bar code tickets.

2. Manufacturer and Importer requirements

Products placed on the European market must mention the following, in accordance with
Decision N. 768/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council dd 9 July 2008:

Every product item must bear a type, batch or serial number;

The manufacturer’s name or registered trade name and the address at which they can be
contacted on the product. This must be indicated on the product or on its packaging.

The importer’s name or registered trade name and the address at which they can be
contacted on the product. This must be indicated on the product or on its packaging.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT FOR SPAIN:

For products manufactured in Spain: Mandatory to mention the industrial register number
of the national manufacturer.
For products manufactured outside the EU: Mandatory to mention the tax ID of the
importer.

3.Hazardous products

Certain consumer chemical products require danger, warning and caution labels for
products that are corrosive, explosive, flammable or poisonous. (see chapter 8)

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 Section 3 – Merchandise labeling requirements

Textile labeling:

The requirements regarding the labeling of textile in Europe are covered by

the Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 (the “Regulation”) which replaced the EU
Directive 2008/121/EC from 08-05- 2011
1. Composition

Textile products within the meaning of the Regulation, shall be labeled or marked
whenever they are put on the market for production or commercial purposes, in
accordance with the requirements of the Regulation

“Textile products” mainly means (i) products which are exclusively composed of textile
fibres as well as (ii) products containing at least 80% by weight of textile fibres

Annex V to the directive contains a long list of exclusions. In view of Foot Locker’s
business, the exclusion worth mentioning is number 23 “textile parts of footwear”

Annex VI contains a long list of exclusions where inclusive labeling (the use of a single
label for several textile products or components is permitted. In view of Foot Locker’s
business, the exclusion worth mentioning is number 8 Shoe and Boot Laces

Labeling requirements:
A textile product composed of two or more fibers, shall be labelled or marked with
the name and percentage by weight of all constituent fibers in descending order,
However a fibre that does not account for more than 5% of the total weight of the
article or fibres which collectively account for up to 15% of the total weight of the
textile product, may be designated by the term “other fibres”, immediately preceded
or followed with their total percentage of weight.

1.1.

The term “pure”, “all”or “100%”should only be used where the garment is made up of only
1 fibre, unless
a. the extraneous fibres are not more than 2%, or
b. When the textile product has undergone a carding process and is does not contain
more than 5% by weight of extraneous fibers,
And providing this quantity is justified as being technically unavoidable in good the
extraneous fibermanufacturing practice and not added as a matter of routine.

1.2. The names, descriptions and particulars as to textile fibers content shall be
indicated in clear, legible and uniform print and in the official language of the
Member States unless the Member State concerned provides otherwise.

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The composition message in the label shall be well separated from other messages in the
labels (i.e. country of origin, wash and care, etc.) It is mandatory to set a line or a space
between the messages so as not to confuse the customers.

2. Wash and Care instructions

Wash and care instructions are required on all garments and other textile articles. They
must be in accordance with the system of care symbols as developed by ISO standard
3758 “textiles – care labeling code using symbols”, which is based on the symbols
developed by the International Association for Textile Care Labeling Ginetex. This ISO
standard has also been adopted as a European standard (EN ISO 3758). It is prohibited to
distribute or offer for sale products in most European countries, if the labeling is not in
conformity with the above mentioned standard.

The symbols should be listed in the order of the ISO standard 3758, i.e.: wash,
bleach, tumble-dry, iron, professional textile care, and all 5 standard symbols must be
used. This order has changed since 2006 (edition 2), and has become mandatory since 1
January 2008. A new edition (3) is in the making for 2012.

According to ISO 3758, if dry cleaning and professional wet cleaning are to be specified,
then the wet clean symbol should appear separately, directly under the dry clean symbol.
The natural drying symbol is an optional symbol but if used, should again be separate from
the main 5 under the other symbols as shown below.
The wet clean and natural drying symbols are 6th and 7th respectively, after the original 5
symbols. In order to comply with the ISO standard, the following design could be used.

These symbols do not require the use of language. The symbols are trademark protected.
The trademarks are owned by Ginetex.

The care label:

• Should be durably fixed to the textile article;
• Should be legible during the whole lifetime of the article. In particular, it should
withstand the washing and dry cleaning process it recommends;
• Should be clearly positioned where it is easily noted and without interference from
a seam;
• Should not show through the article and spoil its appearance.

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The full list and images of the symbols and its description can be found at the following
website: www.iso.org

For further information, you can also consult http://www.sartex.ch/ginetex-

switzerland/ or www.care-labelling.co.uk

3. Flamability – European Requirements

There is no EU standard or requirement to indicate the flamability of a fabric. However,

certain local countries have domestic requirements – please consult the chart under the
languages section below.

4. Special Requirement for polybags

For merchandise items that are sold to customers inside polybags, the following
requirements apply:

1. The composition/care instruction of the items INSIDE the bag (see above section 3.1
and 3.2) must be printed ON the bag if the labels on the product items inside the bag
cannot be seen from the outside.

2. A suffocation WARNING must be printed ON the bag. The recommended text for the
warning would be as follows: "WARNING. This bag is not a toy. Risk of suffocation. Do
not allow children to use" (or similar language). The warning information must be printed
in the official languages of the countries where Foot Locker will market the product (see
below section 3.5 for the language chart). The size of the warning should be
proportionate to the size of the bag, but in any case it must be easily readable.

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5. Language requirements for Textile labels

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Footwear labeling
1. The EU Directive

The requirements regarding the labeling of footwear in Europe are covered by EU

Directive 94/11/EC of 24 March 1994 The footwear covered under this Directive includes
shoes, sandals, boots, slippers, espadrilles, sports shoes (including specialist sports
shoes and those with skates attached) and all articles with applied soles designed to
protect or cover the foot.
The labeling for footwear only needs to be in one article of each pair and can be printed,
embossed or on an attached sticker or label. Whatever method is used the labeling must
be securely attached, visible and accessible, and must be in accordance with the
following rules.

(1) Labeling shall provide information as to the material which constitutes at least 80% of
the;
i) surface of the upper,
ii) surface area of lining and sock,
iii) volume of the outer sole
(Where no one material constitutes at least 80% of the surface area or volume,
information shall be given to the main materials used in the composition of the footwear).

(2) The materials to be indicated are only four: leather, coated leather, textile material or
other material.

(3) The materials used in the 3 parts of the shoe can be given either by using text, or by
using a pictogram. HOWEVER, if pictograms are used, information to the consumer must
be given (either inside the store in a permanent manner, or attached to the shoe itself).
Please note that if only text is being used, the information must be provided in all
languages relevant for Foot Locker Europe’s markets – see below chart.

(4) As for the three parts of the shoe, they also can be labeled either using text or a
pictogram.

Pictograms for the 3 parts of shoe:

Upper

Lining and sock

Outer sole

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Pictograms for the 4 materials to be used:

Leather

Coated leather

Natural textile materials and

synthetic or non woven textile
materials

All other materials

Example of how to use the two sets of pictograms in the correct way:

Parts of footwear Materials used

Written indication Pictogram Written indication

Upper

Leather

Lining & sock

Coated leather

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Outer sole

Textile
Other materials

2. Special labeling requirements apply to footwear in Hungary

In Hungary, special instructions for maintenance and use of footwear need to be provided.

Instruction for use: these instructions must be affixed to the shoes or can be placed into
the shoebox. Where the instruction is not affixed to the shoe, the instruction must contain a
clear indication that the instruction and the shoes belong together. The instructions must
contain in Hungarian language:

• the relevant information on the purpose, use and handling of the shoes
• main features (e.g. water-proof, quality classification) of the product
• in the case of domestic products a reference to the producer and its address
• in the case of imports, reference to the importer and its address
• the place of origin if the product does not come from the EEA

In the case of imports, where a foreign language instruction is attached to the product, a
Hungarian translation with the same content must be attached. The size of the shoes
must be indicated either on the label or in the instructions.

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3. Special labeling requirements apply to certain types of footwear in

Turkey

For the Turkish market, if footwear consists predominantly of textile, an additional hangtag
must be affixed to the shoes providing the customer with clear indications regarding the
maintenance and use of the shoes. in the Turkish language.

4. Language requirements for footwear labeling in Europe

Language requirements in case no icons but only text is used to indicate

footwear composition

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