Product Safety Guidance: Restricted Substances List (RSL)

This Restricted Substance List (RSL) is intended to provide apparel and footwear companies with information related to regulations and laws that restrict or ban certain chemicals and substances in finished home textile, apparel, and footwear products around the world.

The RSL was developed by a special working group of the American Apparel & Footwear Association’s (AAFA’s) Environmental Task Force. It serves as a practical tool to help individuals in textile, apparel and footwear companies, and their suppliers - responsible for environmental compliance throughout the supply chain - to become more aware of various national and international regulations governing the amount of substances that are permitted in finished home textile, apparel, and footwear products.

The RSL will be updated on a regular basis and will be supplemented with additional resources to help officials in these companies undertake responsible chemical management practices in the aforementioned finished products.

English version:

Download RSL 25 [pdf]

Download RSL 25 [excel]

Spanish version:

Download RSL 23 [pdf]

AAFA will include translations as they come.

Acknowledgements

AAFA gratefully acknowledges the support and contribution of the past and present members of the RSL Task Force in developing this resource. The current members of the RSL Task Force are listed below.

RSL Task Force:

Michelle Aranda-Gran, Senior Manager, Product Safety and Compliance, Tommy Bahama
Jennifer Barbarisi, North America Regulatory and Compliance Manager, TÜV Rheinland
Antonio Barberi Ettaro, Senior Advisor International Trade, MODINT
Geoffrey Bock, Technical Manager, Chemical, Environmental Services, TÜV Rheinland
Marion Bourerbab, Senior Expert Chemical Management - Product Compliance and Environment, HUGO BOSS
Melanie Boyle, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Standard Textile Co., Inc.
Henry Boyter, Director of CESTAB, Center for Environmentally Sustainable Textile and Apparel Businesses
Sean Cady, Vice President, Global Sustainability, Responsibility and Trade, VF Corporation
Harsha Chenna, Senior Director, Global Product Stewardship, VF Corporation
Gamma Cheung, Ph.D, Manager, Product Stewardship Asia, Kontoor Brands
Brenda Chiu, Technical Specialist, SGS
Debbie Chronicle, Compliance Specialist, BBC International
Lisa Clerici, Senior Manager Global Restricted Substances Compliance, Under Armour, Inc.
Antonio Cortés, Product Sustainability, Inditex S.A.
John Gerringer, Analytical Director, Eurofins MTS
Alicia Gibreal, Senior Paralegal – IP and Compliance, The Buckle, Inc.
Jill Grosskopf, Senior Global Consulting Specialist, Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services
Judi Haber, Technical Manager CRS, UL Solutions
Arthur Herold, Partner, Webster, Chamberlain, and Bean
Debbie Hodgson, Senior Technical Manager, SGS
Meg Hughes, Senior Global Consulting Specialist, Analytical Services, Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services
Pratik Ichhaporia, Ph. D., Technical Services Vice President North America, Eurofins Consumer Product Testing
Deepak Jadhav, Global Director of Product Chemistry, New Balance Athletics, Inc.
Ken Kaiser, Platform Leader, Clinical Performance Textiles, Standard Textile Co., Inc.
Sandeep Khatua, Ph. D, Global Technical Director, TÜV SÜD America Inc.
Serge Léon, Advisor, MODINT
Kathy Leung, Ph.D, Senior Technical Director, Global Softlines Technical Services, Intertek
Maria Morera Castro, Policy Team, Inditex S.A.
Karthik ND, Regional Managing Director, Eurofins MTS
Jongsei Park, CEO, Eurofins MTS
Lillian Peregrina, Director of Softlines, TÜV Rheinland
Regina Quimby, Director of Global Product Integrity and Global Compliance, Fanatics Inc.
Pankajkumar Sarda, Director, Global Softlines Technical Services, Intertek
Jorge Sifuentes, Director, Product Integrity, Carter’s, Inc.
Gregory Sperla, Partner, DLA Piper LLP
Nathaniel Sponsler, Director, AFIRM
Rick Vance, Director, Quality, NEMO Equipment, Inc.
James Wilson, Partner, Webster, Chamberlain, and Bean
Min Zhu, Ph. D, US and Canada Softlines Technical Director, SGS Connectivity and Products

Learn more about the RSL methodology.

DISCLAIMER

NOTE: This Restricted Substance List (“RSL”) is provided by the American Apparel & Footwear Association (“AAFA”) for informational purposes only. This list represents the known and applicable standards at the time of publication; any inaccuracy or omission is not the responsibility of AAFA. Determination of whether and/or how to use all or any portion of this RSL is to be made in your sole and absolute discretion. Prior to using this RSL, you should review it with your own legal counsel. No part of this document constitutes legal advice. Use of this RSL is voluntary.

AAFA does not make any representations or warranties with respect to this RSL or its contents. The RSL is provided on an “AS IS” and on an “AS AVAILABLE” basis. AAFA HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY NATURE, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, OR ARISING FROM TRADE OR CUSTOM, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NONINFRINGEMENT, QUALITY, TITLE, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, COMPLETENESS OR ACCURACY.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAWS, AAFA SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSSES, EXPENSES OR DAMAGES OF ANY NATURE, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, DIRECT, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR LOST INCOME OR PROFITS, RESULTING FROM OR ARISING OUT OF A COMPANY’S OR INDIVIDUAL’S USE OF THE RSL, WHETHER ARISING IN TORT, CONTRACT, STATUTE, OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.