Limitation of biocides biocidal products (antimicrobial function)
Level: Core
Disposable textiles treated with biocidal products to obtain a antimicrobial function may contain substances that are environmentally and health hazardous. With this requirement biocidal treated articles are avoided.
Details
- Type:
- Technical specification
- ID:
- 11202:1
- Group:
- Disposable textiles for use in health care
Criterion text
Disposable textiles shall not be treated with biocidal products1,2.
Exception
Textiles where a biocidal function is specifically requested, such as surgical incision drapes
1Definition according to Article 3 in Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2012 concerning the making available on the market and use of biocidal products.
2Biocidal function includes, for example, antibacterial, and antimicrobial.
Verification
The supplier shall, upon request, be able to present any of for example the following:
- Valid license for any of for example the following labels:
- Nordic Swan Ecolabel of Sanitary products, version 6
- The supplier’s self-declaration, supported by technical documentation, showing that the requirement is fulfilled. The technical documentation shall be available upon request from the procuring organisation. It may for example show that the textile is not labelled nor covered by requirements for information on biocidal treatment in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 concerning the making available on the market and use of biocidal products.
- The supplier’s self-declaration including technical documentation of compliance verified by an accredited verification body, accredited for the task in accordance with ISO/IEC 17029 or equivalent standard.
Proposed follow-up
Labelling
If the requirement has been verified with a label, check that there is a valid license for the product in question. This can be checked on each website: Nordic Swan Ecolabel
Self-declaration based on technical documentation
If the requirement has been verified by a self-declaration based on technical documentation, perform a spot-check on the delivered products and check that there is no label that describes treatment with biocidal products.
Note that if the product has a tag/label describing a biocide treated article, the requirement is not met.
Articles treated with biocides shall be labelled in accordance with the biocidal regulation. Examples of what a label can look like can be found in the Swedish Chemicals Agency's fact sheet "Articles treated with biocides".
If delivered products do not have a tag/label for treatment with biocidal product, request information from the supplier about any possible biocidal treatment of the products. The information may, for example, consist of product sheets, marketing materials or the like.
If an article has been treated with a biocide information regarding the name of the ingoing biocide should be found on the article.
Note that if marketing shows a biocidal treatment, for example antibacterial, antimicrobial or odourless, the product does not meet the requirement.
Self-declaration verified by an accredited verification body
If the requirement has been verified by a self-declaration request the supplier's self-declaration including technical documentation of compliance that has been verified by an accredited verification body, accredited for the task in accordance with ISO / IEC 17029.
Information about the criterion
An article marketed as biocide-treated, for example antibacterial shall, according to the Biocides Regulation, be labelled. A biocidal treatment is a treatment that remains during the use of the textile. A sterilisation for transport is not covered by the requirement.
The information shall also be able to be provided if the supplier does not market the product as biocide-treated, according to Article 58 of the Biocides Regulation. The supplier of the product shall, upon request, be able to provide information on possible biocidal treatment within 45 days, even if the product is not marketed as a biocidal treated product to the consumer, according to the Biocides Regulation. It is thus possible to request the information from the supplier. Examples of what a label can look like can be found in the Swedish Chemicals Agency's fact sheet "Articles treated with biocides".
There are currently no accredited verification bodies according to ISO / IEC 17029 (Conformity assessment - General principles and requirements for validation and verification bodies), as it is a relatively new standard. However, this may change, especially if the demand for verifying compliance in this way increases. This possibility is therefore included in the list of possible verifications. More information about the standard is available at www.swedac.se.
A product that is marketed as treated with biocides, such as antibacterial, shall be labelled according to the Biocides Regulation. Information shall also be made available even if the supplier does not market the product as treated with biocides, according to Article 58 of the Biocides Regulation.
Environmental goals
Versions history
The version date indicates when the sustainability criterion was created or last updated. Last reviewed dated tells when we last checked that the sustainability criterion still is relevant.
- Current ID
- 11202:1
- Version date
- 2022-02-14