Non-textile parts of animal origin

“Contains non-textile parts of animal origin” is the Article 12 phrase, on the label whenever the product is made available

Direct answer. Article 12(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 says the presence of non-textile parts of animal origin in textile products shall be indicated by using the phrase ‘Contains non-textile parts of animal origin’ on the labelling or marking of products containing such parts whenever they are made available on the market. Article 12(2) says the labelling or marking shall not be misleading and shall be such that the consumer can easily understand. The Commission FAQ says that phrase covers parts made of down, feather, bone, leather, pearl, and horn, even in small quantities, and that fur sewn onto a textile is within the article. Article 16(1)’s before-purchase sentence names the fibre-composition descriptions in Articles 5, 7, 8 and 9. It does not name Article 12. This page quotes only the English phrase. This page is not legal advice.

FibreLedger Textile Labels (Shopify App Store · Write a review) checks fibre names against the Annex I catalogue in EN, DE, and FR, flags trade names such as Lycra or Tencel, and records French origin, environmental-impact information, and EPR records. The listing does not describe the Article 12 phrase. Fibre names are EU textile fibre composition.

Related: EU Food Info Guard — EU food information — allergens, origin, and nutrition before purchase.

Free check first: Textile fibre composition checker runs in your browser and sends nothing. Check fibre names against the EU Annex I list and that the blend adds up to 100%.

Checklist before you print the phrase

What the Commission FAQ treats as animal-origin parts

Article 12 does not itself list materials. The Commission FAQ, question 5.2, says: “‘Non-textile parts of animal origin’ includes parts made of down, feather, bone, leather, pearl, and horn.” It says textile products containing such materials, even in small quantities, must be labelled or marked with the sentence ‘Contains non-textile parts of animal origin’ whenever they are made available on the market. Question 5.3 uses fur sewn onto the textile parts as the example of something “in” the product, and says the word “in” covers anything which forms part of the textile product, regardless of how it is attached. Question 5.4 gives leather as an example of a non-textile part of animal origin.

The FAQ does not, in those answers, name a button as such. Bone and horn are in the 5.2 list. A fibre-composition exclusion for buttons and buckles covered with textile materials sits in a different annex and is not an Article 12 example list. Question 5.1 says Article 12 does not apply to footwear, and points to the Footwear Directive for leather indications on footwear. Confirm that answer before you put the textile phrase on a shoe.

Label, distance sales, and language versions

Article 12(1) requires the phrase on the labelling or marking whenever the products are made available on the market. Article 15(3) says that when making a textile product available on the market, the distributor shall ensure that textile products bear the appropriate labelling or marking prescribed by the Regulation.

Article 16(1) is a different sentence. It says the textile fibre composition descriptions referred to in Articles 5, 7, 8 and 9 shall be indicated in catalogues and trade literature, on packaging, labels and markings, and that this information shall be clearly visible to the consumer before the purchase, including where the purchase is made by electronic means. The Commission FAQ, question 6.9, repeats that before-purchase rule for fibre composition, including online purchases. Neither Article 16(1) nor question 6.9 names the Article 12 phrase. This page does not move the fibre-composition sentence onto Article 12.

The English phrase above is the English EUR-Lex text. Each language version of the regulation states Article 12 in that language. Open the language menu on the EUR-Lex act. This page does not supply those translations. Article 16(3), which requires labelling or marking in the official language or languages of the Member State unless that State provides otherwise, is walked for fibre composition on language of the market.

What this page is not

Related pages

Not legal advice. Confirm Article 12 and Article 16 on EUR-Lex, and the Commission FAQ, before you treat the animal-origin phrase as required on a product page or as translated. The app checks fibre names you enter. It does not write the Article 12 phrase.