The European labelling standard EN 12934 has developed from the unsatisfactory co-existence of differing labelling systems within Europe.
Moreover, the RAL terms such as half-down, three-quarter down and previously not used feathers have met harsh criticism because of the sometimes unclear filling specifications; for example, most customers would be firmly convinced that the term “half-down” referred to a filling containing 50 per cent of down by weight and 50 per cent of feathers.
As a result of the coalescence of the European states the number of different labelling systems for fillings made of down and feathers became too confusing, particularly for the consumers. Finally, the Consumer Protection Unit of the European Commission called for comprehensible labelling regulations which had to be based upon the currently valid regulations for textile labelling.
This is how the European standard EN 12934, which has been effective since 1999, came into being.
The old RAL regulations must not be applied anymore since January 1st, 2005.
Already since the middle of the 1980s there have been endeavours in Germany to alter the RAL regulations and to declare the composition of fillings of down and feathers in the form of a percentage of weight. The revision of the RAL regulations did, however, not take place anymore, as the process toward the formulation of the EN 12934 had already been initiated.
At the beginning of the 1990s the Unit for Consumer Protection of the European Commission demanded for the labelling of down and feathers used as filling materials to be conformed to the European directive on the labelling of textile products.
The specification concerning the fibre composition – in the form already existing for textiles (for example: “95 per cent cotton, 5 per cent polyester”) – had to be formulated correspondingly for the composition of fillings which contain down and feathers. Consequently, the label would have to include information on the composition, such as “contains x per cent down, y per cent feathers“. It was especially the consumer organizations which had been calling for such details to be specified on the label.
Further information at:
- What is the content of the regulations laid down in the new standard DIN EN 12934?
- What is the point of a new standard? Why always change everything?
- May the terms of the RAL such as "previously not used feathers", "half-down" and so on not be used anymore?
Quelle
Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.
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