Do you manufacture clothing in the Netherlands? Or do you sell, distribute, or import clothing under your own brand name (you are then considered a manufacturer)? You must make sure the products meet the fire safety standards. There are inflammability tests to determine the fire hazard category.
Fire safety standards
Are the clothes made fully of acrylic, modacryl, nylon, olefin, polyester, or wool? In principle these meet the set requirements for fire-safety. You can only sell clothes made of other fabrics if they are accompanied by a test report or a certificate from the supplier. This certificate must indicate that the clothing meets the fire safety requirements.
Testing fire safety
To prove the fire safety of clothes, you must make sure it is tested.
- Nightwear (nightdresses, nightshirts, pyjamas, (bath)robes) must meet the requirements in the Fire Safety Agreement for Nightwear (Convenant brandveiligheid nachtkleding, in Dutch). These should be tested acooring to the EN 1103 norm.
- Daywear should be tested following the ASTM D1230 norm. The requirements are laid down in the Enforcement Agreements regarding the fire safety of clothing (Commodities Act, in Dutch).
- According to the Commodities Act Decree on toys 2011 (in Dutch), fancy dress costumes for children up to 14 years must comply with the safety requirements for toys. These are tested with EN 71-2.
Exceptions
No fire safety requirements apply for:
- swimwear
- leg fashion
- underwear
- baby clothes (below Dutch size 80)