Regulation No. 1408 applies to textile products when made available on the market, and to products treated as textile products for its purposes: products containing at least 80% textile fibres; furniture, umbrellas and sunshades containing at least 80% textile components; textile components of the upper layer of multilayer floor coverings, mattress covers and covers for camping goods, provided they constitute at least 80% by mass of the relevant upper layer or cover; and textile materials forming an integral part of other products where their composition is stated.
For a textile product made from several fibres, the general rule is to state the fibre names and percentages in descending order by mass. Labelling and marking must be reliable, easily legible, visible and accessible, and the label must be securely attached. Check these points before displaying the product.
A footwear seller must make sure the pair bears the marking required by the relevant technical regulation. The information must be applied to at least one shoe—the individual item in the pair. Product information must be provided to the buyer in Ukrainian before purchase. The steps below help organise checks of composition, legibility and marking placement; they cover selected requirements for these product groups.
Textile composition: read the names and percentages
For a multi-fibre product, the general rule requires fibre names and percentages by mass in descending order. Use the names listed in Annex 1. Descriptions such as ‘100%’, ‘pure’ or ‘all’ are reserved for single-fibre products. Technically justified foreign fibres may account for up to 2% of the finished product’s mass, or up to 5% after carding, provided they arise under good manufacturing practice and are not systematically added. ‘Virgin wool’ or ‘pure wool product’ descriptions are permitted for a product consisting exclusively of wool yarn that has not previously formed part of a finished product, undergone spinning or felting beyond the processes needed to manufacture this product, or been damaged by treatment or use. In a blend, all wool must meet these conditions and account for at least 25% of its mass; in a carded blend, wool may be mixed with only one other fibre, and the full percentage composition must be stated. Foreign fibres may account for no more than 0.3% of the finished product’s mass, subject to technical justification, good manufacturing practice and no systematic addition. These conditions appear in Regulation No. 1408, Section II, Chapters 2–3.
For sewn garments, knitwear, fur goods, sheepskin garments and headwear, also check the article identifier, material composition, model number, size, grade and production date required by Rules No. 104, Section II, Chapter 1, point 2.
Special descriptions are permitted: ‘other fibres’, accompanied by their total percentage by mass, for a fibre accounting for no more than 5%, or fibres together accounting for no more than 15%, of the product’s mass, if they cannot easily be identified during manufacture; this description is also permitted for fibres not yet listed in Annex 1; ‘mixed fibres’ or ‘unspecified textile composition’ where composition is difficult to determine during manufacture.
For components with different compositions, check each component’s composition; the exemption concerns components that are not the main lining and account for no more than 30% of the product’s total mass.
For Annex 2 products, check the special composition statements. Bras require the overall or separate composition of the inner and outer cup and back fabrics; corsets and girdles require the front, back and stiff side sections; corselettes require those sections and the cup fabrics. Other corsetry may state the whole product’s composition or the combined or separate composition of its parts; components below 10% of the product’s mass need not be labelled separately. Separate statements must identify the relevant parts clearly. Discharge-printed textiles require the composition of the whole product, base fabric and discharge-printed parts, with the parts named. Embroidered textiles require the whole product, base fabric and embroidery threads; where embroidery covers less than 10% of the area, only the base fabric’s composition is required. Retail yarn with differently composed cores and covers requires the overall composition and the separate composition of those named parts. Corduroy, plush and similar products require the overall composition; where the two surfaces differ and contain different fibres, separate statements identifying the components are permitted. Carpets and floor coverings with differently composed surfaces require only the composition and identification of the face.
If a product contains non-textile parts of animal origin, its label or marking must include the Ukrainian statement “містить нетекстильні частини тваринного походження” (“contains non-textile parts of animal origin”).
For single-fibre and multi-fibre products, exclude visible, isolated fibres used solely for decoration if they account for no more than 7% of the finished product’s mass, and fibres used for an antistatic effect if they account for no more than 2%.
The description ‘cotton-linen fabric’ is permitted for fabric with a 100% cotton warp and a 100% flax weft where flax accounts for at least 40% of the total mass of the unsized fabric. The statement must include ‘100 відсотків бавовняної основи’ and ‘100 відсотків льняного утоку’ (‘100% cotton warp’ and ‘100% flax weft’). For this fabric, calculate the decorative and antistatic fibre percentages separately by warp and weft mass. Exclude other elements according to the relevant product category and conditions in Annex 6.
During goods receiving, keep a photo of any disputed statement. Note the model and the specific question for the supplier: a percentage is missing next to a name, the statement is unclear, or the order is incorrect. Request information for that particular product. Do not substitute the composition of another model or estimate percentages from the fabric’s appearance.
If the textile product’s manufacturer is not a resident of Ukraine, the importer ensures that a label or marking is present and that the information on it is accurate. For such goods, raise questions about composition and the label with the importer through your supplier. Quote the wording exactly in your request and attach a photo.
Textile label: check the wording and attachment
Inspect the label or marking directly on the product. The composition statement must be easily legible, visible, clear and printed uniformly in size, style and font. Place the trademark or company name immediately before or after the composition description; present other information separately. Read the entire wording. Check whether the information is visible, accessible for review and whether the label is securely attached.
In your work checklist, group defects by cause. If the manufacturer’s label is damaged or worn, transfer all marking data to a duplicate, have the person responsible for receiving the goods sign it, and attach it to the product. Goods without the required marking must not be sold. If the inaccurate information does not harm the consumer’s life, health or property, the manufacturer or seller must withdraw the product from sale and correct the information within one week. This procedure follows Law No. 1023-XII, Article 15, paragraph 1, point 6-1; if a law or the applicable technical regulation establishes another procedure, follow that procedure. If an additional store sticker covers the composition, move it.
Repeat the inspection after preparing the product for display. For internal control, assign an employee to check the result after corrections. Ask them to assess the text, visibility, accessibility and attachment separately, so that fixing one defect does not leave another unnoticed.
Footwear marking: find it on the shoe itself
On at least one shoe, check the material descriptions for three components: the upper, lining and sock, and outer sole. The pictograms or text descriptions in Annex 1 may be used. When determining the upper material, exclude accessories and reinforcing elements, including leather patches, ankle straps, ornaments, buckles, tabs, eyelets and similar elements. Point 9 sets an 80% area threshold for the upper and lining and sock, and an 80% volume threshold for the outer sole; it also requires the two main materials to be stated where no material exceeds 80%. Marking must be visible, securely attached, accessible, understandable and non-misleading, with pictograms large enough to understand. Under Rules No. 104, separately check the model, size, width fitting, month and year of manufacture, and recommendations for use and care inside the individual packaging.
The seller’s check concerns the marking required by the technical regulation. If the purpose of a wording or symbol is unclear, photograph it and ask the supplier for an explanation. Note in the work checklist which shoe bears the marking and what still needs clarification.
Ukrainian language and access to information before purchase
Information about goods in Ukraine is provided in the state language. Buyers must receive the information before purchasing the goods. Check these two conditions together: Ukrainian text must be present and buyers must be able to review it before purchase.
Ask an employee to show where a buyer can read the textile composition and find the footwear marking. If the buyer needs to ask a seller to see the information, arrange for it to be shown before the purchase is completed. Do not defer clarification of an unclear statement until the handover of goods that have already been purchased.
Keep the exceptions in mind separately
Regulation No. 358 excludes second-hand footwear and footwear covered by other technical regulations. Regulation No. 1408 also excludes products made by homeworkers under employment contracts or legal entities sewing from customer-supplied materials without ownership being transferred, and individual orders made by self-employed individuals. Separate exceptions concern how composition is presented: Products listed in Annex 3 do not require fibre names or fibre composition to be stated. If the trademark or company name contains a fibre name listed in Annex 1, on its own, as a word root or as an adjective, or a name that could be confused with it, Chapters 6 and 9–11 of Section II apply. Annex 4 products of the same type and composition may share a packaging label; For textile products sold by length, composition may be stated on the piece or roll. Products covered by Annex 4, point 12, and sold in cut lengths must bear the marking on the spool. Both products bearing a shared packaging label and products sold by length must be made available on the market so that every buyer in the supply chain, including the consumer, knows their fibre composition. These exceptions do not remove other applicable product-information requirements.
Set these goods apart in the work checklist. Keep the precise wording of the grounds for the exception. Do not extend it to other products just because they are made or sold in a similar way.
Inspection work checklist
Assign someone to inspect goods on receipt and check them again before display. For each issue, record the model, defect, person responsible and outcome of their actions.
| What to inspect | Employee action | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| Composition of textile made from several fibres | Read the names and percentages and check descending order by mass | Specific question about the statement |
| Textile label | Check legibility, visibility, accessibility and attachment | Defect in the wording or attachment |
| Pair of shoes | Find the marking on at least one shoe | Marking location and question for the supplier |
| Information before purchase | Check for Ukrainian text and the ability to review it | What prevents the buyer from reading the information |
Illustrative example: fibre order on a label
Suppose a T-shirt has one textile component made from two fibres. The supplier states the composition as 65% cotton and 35% polyester. The label says: “Polyester — 35%, cotton — 65%.” All details in this example are illustrative.
The shares add up to 65 + 35 = 100%. The order needs correcting: cotton, with the greater mass share, must come first. Send the supplier a photo and ask about the wording “Cotton — 65%, polyester — 35%.” After correction, read the label again and inspect its attachment. For this example, check only the arithmetic and order of the statement; do not determine the actual fabric composition from the sum of the percentages.
Official sources
Rules for the Retail Sale of Non-Food Goods, approved by Order No. 104 of 19 April 2007: Section I, points 10 and 13; Section II, Chapter 1, point 2; Chapter 3, point 2.
- Technical Regulation on the Names of Textile Fibres and Related Labelling and Marking of the Fibre Composition of Textile Products, approved by Order No. 1408 of 28 July 2020: Section I, points 2–3; Section II, Chapter 1, point 1; Chapter 2, points 1–2; Chapter 3, points 1–3; Chapter 4, points 1–5; Chapter 5, points 1–3; Chapter 6, points 1–2; Chapter 7, point 1; Chapter 8; Chapter 9, point 1; Chapter 10, point 1; Chapter 11, points 1–3; Chapter 12, points 1–5; Annexes 1–4 and 6.
- Technical Regulation on the Labelling of Materials Used in the Manufacture of the Main Components of Footwear Offered for Sale to Consumers, approved by Order No. 358 of 6 March 2019: points 4, 5 and 9; Annex 1.
- Law of Ukraine “On Consumer Protection” No. 1023-XII: Article 15, paragraph 1—providing information before purchase.
- Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Functioning of Ukrainian as the State Language” No. 2704-VIII: Article 30, paragraph 5—the state language for information about goods, subject to the specifics of Article 33.
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