First case丨California reaches settlement over BPA content in socks

▶Prospect Review:

In October 2021, about 60 socks brands, retailers and manufacturers received California 60-day notices because socks contained Bisphenol A (BPA) and were sold in California without California Proposition 65 Warning label for alleged violation of California 65. The socks in the notice are mainly baby and children's socks (covering all sizes of socks for babies and children), and the fiber components are mainly polyester and spandex.

▶Latest Progress:

On June 13, 2022, the first settlement agreement to limit BPA content in socks (with polyester and spandex as the main fiber components) was announced. The main contents of the settlement agreement are as follows:

Covered Products：Socks (Includes socks for adults, children, and babies) with polyester fiber and spandex as main fiber components.

Requirements：

● Products must not knowingly add BPA, or；

● Contains in excess of 1ppm BPA；

● Defendant shall not replace the BPA with any other phenol, such as Bisphenol S (BPS)；

● If the BPA content in the product exceeds 1ppm, the following warning signs shall be used：

▶Enterprise coping with suggestions：

1.If enterprises sell socks and apparel with polyester fiber and spandex as the main fiber components in California, the BPA content in the product should not exceed 1ppm, or affix the California 65 warning label to avoid violations.

2. Enterprises should pay attention to BPA-like substances in products, such as Bisphenol S (BPS), Bisphenol F (BPF), Bisphenol B (BPB), Bisphenol AF (BPAF), etc., and should not use these similar substances as substitutes in actual production and processing Bisphenol A.