A Restricted Substance List (RSL) helps companies meet regulatory requirements.

A RSL is a list of chemicals restricted in consumer products, usually due to a governmental regulation or law. Some brands have a RSL that may go above and beyond regulatory requirements. The RSL is owned, managed and updated by brands or trade associations and implemented during the manufacturing process.

RSL’s are usually provided to chemical companies to ensure their chemical formulations meet the acceptable limits of restricted chemicals that are allowed on finished products. The RSL should include a testing protocol, with acceptable chemical limits and analytical methods, to test products before they are shipped out of the facility.

The purpose of a RSL is to reduce the use of hazardous substances in consumer goods and supply chains. Companies publish their RSL’s to ensure suppliers and vendors, and internal corporate employees are aware of, and can follow corporate restricted substance requirements.

The American Apparel and Footwear Association AAFA recently released their 2019 RSL which can be downloaded for free. It identifies the most restrictive iteration of that regulation worldwide. It is updated every six months and each latest version is free to the apparel and footwear industry.

The Apparel and Footwear International RSL Management (AFIRM) Working Group has provided a tool kit in four languages for suppliers and brands to use when implementing an RSL. In addition, they recently published a RSL that was developed collaboratively by its members. This is an extensive list, and for some chemicals, exceeds regulations. It can be downloaded in four different languages here.

Source: AFIRM and AFFA

What are the implications for your business?

Questions to consider:

• Do you have the internal expertise to manage, update and implement an RSL?
• Do you keep track of product failures and analyze the reasons why?
• Do your products ever get stuck in customs because they fail regulatory requirements?
• Can you ship products or do you face heavy fines, longer lead-times and loss of sales due to lack of compliance?

For help with any issue associated with chemicals, contact Amanda Cattermole at (415) 412 8406 or Amanda@cattermoleconsulting.com. We can help you develop powerful solutions that protect company and brand reputation and result in safer products manufactured in cleaner supply chains.

Tips and Insights is published bi-monthly and contains information to help you make informed chemical management decisions. Each post highlights a particular topic and includes questions you may want to consider for your business.