SAFEGUARDS | Cosmetics, Personal Care & HouseholdNO. 056/20
The US state of Washington has signed into law new requirements for the labeling of disposable wipe products. Products covered by the legislation are defined as those that are a premoistened wipe constructed from nonwoven sheets and designed and marketed for diapering, personal hygiene, or household hard surface cleaning purposes. Excluded from the regulation are products designed or marketed for cleaning or medicating the anorectal or vaginal areas on the human body and labeled "flushable," "sewer safe," "septic safe," or otherwise indicating that the product is appropriate for disposal in a toilet including, but not limited to, premoistened toilet tissue.
The new legislation would require all covered products to use the "do not flush" symbol, or a gender equivalent thereof, described in the INDA/EDANA code of practice 2. This symbol (figure 1 ) must be on the principal display panel of the container such that it is visible to the consumer each time they use the product. The symbol must cover at least two percent of the surface area of the principal display panel, unobscured by seams, fold, other design elements and in sufficiently high contrast to be readable.
Figure 1
All products are required to be in compliance by July 1, 2022. Products which are regulated as pesticides under the EPA Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) will have one additional year to be in compliance (July 1, 2023). Sell through provisions have also been established in order to allow products manufactured before the effective date to be sold until January 1, 2023.
Sources
[1] DISPOSABLE WIPES PRODUCTS--"DO NOT FLUSH" LABELING.
With the development of new products, regulations for cosmetics, personal care and household are fast changing and increasingly complex. To stay up-to-date with the latest legislation, check out our powerful regulatory compliance platform, SGS Digicomply.
NEXT STEP
Products marketed as premoistened nonwoven wipes which are intended to be sold into the state of washington should be reviewed and amended in order to be in compliance by the effective date of the legislation.
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