1.The product group ‘footwear’ shall comprise all articles designed to protect or cover the foot, with an applied sole which comes into contact with the ground. Subject to the exemptions set out in paragraph 3, footwear covered by Annex II to Directive 94/11/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(1) and protective footwear covered by Council Directive 89/686/EEC(2) are included in the scope.
2.Footwear may be composed of various natural and/or synthetic materials in line with Directive 94/11/EC.
3.The product group shall not comprise following products:
(a)footwear containing any electric or electronic components;
(b)footwear that is disposed of after a single use;
(c)socks with an applied sole;
(d)toy footwear.
For the purpose of this Decision, the following definitions shall apply:
‘Shoe upper’ means the upper structural element, composed of one or more materials, which is attached to the shoe outer sole. The shoe upper includes lining and socks.
‘Lining and socks’ mean the lining of the shoe upper and the insole, constituting the inside of the footwear article.
‘Shoe outer sole’ means the bottom part of the footwear article which is attached to the shoe upper.
‘Footwear assembly’ means a series of operations that aim at joining together the shoe upper and shoe sole to form a final product. Final product packaging is included.
‘Footwear assembly site’ means the site where the final stages of the production (from material cutting or forming (for injection moulding production) to product packaging) that pertain to the licensed product and remain under management control of the applicant take place.
‘Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)’ are organic compounds that have, at 293,15 K, a vapour pressure of 0,01 KPa or more, or that have a corresponding volatility under the particular conditions of use, as defined in EN 14602.
‘Inherently biodegradable substance’ means a substance that shows 70 % degradation of dissolved organic carbon within 28 days or 60 % of theoretical maximum oxygen depletion or carbon dioxide generation within 28 days using one of the following test methods: ISO 14593, OECD 302 A, ISO 9887, OECD 302 B, ISO 9888, OECD 302 C.
‘Readily biodegradable substance’ means a substance that shows 70 % degradation of dissolved organic carbon within 28 days or 60 % of theoretical maximum oxygen depletion or carbon dioxide generation within 28 days using one of the following test methods: OECD 301 A, ISO 7827, OECD 301 B, ISO 9439, OECD 301 C, OECD 301 D, ISO 10708, OECD 301 E, OECD 301 F, ISO 9408.
In order to be awarded the EU Ecolabel under Regulation (EC) No 66/2010, a product shall fall within the product group ‘footwear’ as defined in Article 1 of this Decision and shall comply with the ecological criteria and the related assessment and verification requirements set out in the Annex to this Decision.
The ecological criteria for the product group ‘ footwear ’ and the related assessment and verification requirements shall be valid until 31 December 2025 .]
Textual Amendments
F1 Substituted by Commission Decision (EU) 2020/1805 of 27 November 2020 amending Decisions 2014/350/EU and (EU) 2016/1349 extending the period of validity of the ecological criteria for the award of the EU Ecolabel to textile products and footwear and of the related assessment and verification requirements (notified under document C(2020) 8152) (Text with EEA relevance).
For administrative purposes, the code number assigned to the product group ‘footwear’ shall be ‘017’.
Decision 2009/563/EC is repealed.
1.By derogation from Article 6, applications for the EU Ecolabel for products falling within the product group ‘footwear’ submitted before the date of adoption of this Decision shall be evaluated in accordance with the conditions laid down in Decision 2009/563/EC.
2.Applications for the EU Ecolabel for products falling within the product group ‘footwear’ submitted within two months of the date of adoption of this Decision may be based either on the criteria set out in Decision 2009/563/EC or on the criteria set out in this Decision. Applications shall be evaluated in accordance with the criteria on which they are based.
3.EU Ecolabel licences awarded in accordance with the criteria set out in Decision 2009/563/EC may be used for 12 months from the date of adoption of this Decision.
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.