From the Sector

EDANA, the global association for the nonwovens and related industries, together with the Absorbent Hygiene Product Manufacturers Association (AHPMA) in the UK, the Center for Baby and Adult Hygiene Products (BAHP), and the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) in the US, is addressing a recent NGO report claiming to have detected trace levels of glyphosate in a single box of tampons.

The report’s comprehensive results have not been published, and the available details are minimal. The report is limited in scale, stating that “just 15 boxes” of tampons were tested. Its main claim centres on a finding in “one of the boxes”, without clarifying whether it was present in just one tampon or throughout the box. We would welcome the test data being shared so that we could examine and understand the results.

The authors also state that the detected trace levels of glyphosate are 40 times higher than those permitted in drinking water, with their finding being 0.004 mg/kg. EDANA’s Stewardship Programme sets a guidance value of 0,5mg/kg for pesticides. The traces found in the NGO report are therefore 125 times lower than this industry guidance value.

Moreover, comparing levels in tampons to drinking water overlooks a crucial point: the nature of exposure. While individuals typically consume around 2 litres of water daily, a tampon is used only a few times per month and remains in contact with the body for only a few hours at a time. As such, the comparison is misleading and disproportionate.

The health and safety of consumers is the foremost, non-negotiable commitment of our industry. EDANA's voluntary Stewardship Programme for Absorbent Hygiene Products (AHP’s), with its core component—the CODEX™—exemplifies the industry's proactive commitment to safety, consumer confidence, and transparency.

The CODEX™ establishes stringent guidance values for a list of trace chemicals. It goes beyond current EU and national legislative requirements, showcasing a commitment to best practices. It also incorporates standardized, consumer-relevant test methods[1]—further ensuring that millions of individuals can use AHPs with confidence every day.

Consumers can be assured that tampons are a safe way of managing their period. Our associations reiterate their full confidence in the safety of tampons, built on decades of safe use, rigorous testing, regulatory compliance and proactive industry stewardship.

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), spanning the entire spectrum of U.S. textiles from fiber to finished sewn products, commended Congress for passing the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), legislation that will help preserve the Berry Amendment supply chain and direct the Department of Defense to expand its procurement of domestically-made textile goods for military use.

“We applaud the House and Senate for getting NDAA across the finish line and are pleased the legislation will now go to President Biden for his signature,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas. “NCTO sincerely thanks Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) for sponsoring language expressing concern about offshoring textile manufacturing and highlighting the need for the DOD and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to procure more domestically-produced textile goods for military use. The language also requires the DOD to report on the feasibility of requiring American-made home textile goods to be used on military installations.”

“We also want to thank Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) who sponsored language expressing concern about economic factors impacting the capacity of the U.S. textile industry to meet DOD requirements and calling on the agency to assess labor shortages, contract forecasting and lack of investment in manufacturing capabilities and report back to Congress.”

Finally, this NDAA report language calls for DOD to report to Congress its assessment of the textile industry as it relates to labor shortages, contract forecasting and lack of investment in manufacturing capabilities.

“The domestic textile industry and supply chain are vital to the warm industrial base for the production of critical items that contribute to our nation’s health and safety. It is imperative that Congress and the administration continue to support this industry—a key contributor to our national defense that supplies over 8,000 products a year to our men and women in uniform—through expanded government procurement of American-made items. The NDAA is critical to supporting this manufacturing base,” Glas said.

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) issued a statement today on the Trump administration’s announced action plan to increase enforcement and penalties against counterfeit goods sold online and imported to the U.S.

“This is a very important and long overdue move on the part of the administration to increase enforcement activity and penalties against counterfeit goods sold online and imported into the United States,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas. “We commend the administration for making a commitment to bolster efforts to crack down on counterfeits, particularly in the textile and apparel sector, which has been hit hard by fake imported products for decades.”

Nearly two million shipments of goods are exported to the United States duty free each day-- often from countries with poor labor, human rights and environmental track records—under a provision known as Section 321 de minimis. This provision allows goods valued below an $800 threshold to enter the U.S. duty free when imported directly to an individual on a single day.  

“This massive increase in de minimis shipment trade poses significant security risks and threats to public health and safety, while incentivizing customs fraud and creating a loophole to our entire tariff structure,” Glas said. “Our concerns regarding the de minimis loophole are exacerbated by the belief that the domestic textile industry and other U.S. manufacturing interests are directly and negatively impacted, particularly since e-commerce sites like Amazon and others are using de minimis as a duty-free portal into the U.S. for products under $800.”

Furthermore, CBP’s own annual report on intellectual property seizures, including large volumes of counterfeits, revealed that U.S. authorities made seizures totaling $1.4 billion in fiscal 2018. Over 90 percent of all intellectual property (IPR) seizures occur in the international mail and express shipment environments, according to the report, which is a common method of shipping by e-commerce sites.

Chinese products accounted for 46% of all IPR seizures with a total Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) value of $761.1 million in FY 2018. Apparel and accessories were the top counterfeit products seized by U.S. authorities, accounting for 18% of all seizures in FY 2018 with an MRSP value of $115.2 million.

“We think this is an important step forward by the administration to deepen the analysis on de minimis products--- that are often not thoroughly examined and undercut our domestic manufacturing industries,” Glas said. “We don’t know what the products are, where they are coming from, whether they meet U.S. safety requirements, who is making them or the country of origin. We believe it is long past time for the administration to address the issue of de minimis shipments and counterfeiting head on.”