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Selling clothing, footwear and textiles in Switzerland

In Switzerland, clothing, bedding and other textiles that touch the body are utility articles under food law. The FDHA Ordinance on Articles in Contact with the Human Body (HKV) limits azo dyes, organotins and REACH-listed substances, sets nickel release limits for metal parts, and adds flammability and children's drawstring rules. Cantonal authorities enforce.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Law
LGV and the FDHA ordinance on articles in contact with the human body (HKV)
Covers
Clothing, wigs, bed linen, tablecloths, upholstery, carpets, curtains
Azo dyes
No release of listed amines above 30 mg/kg
Nickel
No more than 0.5 µg/cm² per week from metal parts in prolonged skin contact
Children's clothing
Cords and drawstrings for children up to 14 kept low-risk
Who enforces
Cantonal enforcement authorities

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Is the product a textile material or leather article within the LGV? Read more
  2. 2Do dyes and finishes stay within the HKV substance limits? Read more
  3. 3Do metal parts such as rivets, zips and buckles meet the nickel limit? Read more
  4. 4Is the fabric too flammable, or prone to surface flash? Read more
  5. 5Is it children's clothing or a baby article, with cord and phthalate rules? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Scope and general requirements

Which textiles are covered and what they must meet.

  • Textile materials are articles worn directly or indirectly on the body, such as clothing, wigs and costumes, and articles for furnishing rooms, such as bed linen, tablecloths, upholstery fabrics, carpets and curtains (LGV Article 64).
  • Articles in contact with skin, hair or mucous membranes, such as clothing and nappies, may release substances only in amounts that are harmless to health (LGV Article 61).
  • Adding substances that give products a pharmacological effect, such as disinfectants, is prohibited (LGV Article 61).
  • Information on utility articles is in at least one official language; claims of healing, relieving or preventing disease, such as disinfecting or anti-inflammatory effects, are prohibited (LGV Article 47).

How we help: Compliant Always reads your product specification and claims against these definitions and shows which statements need a second look. Ask about this

Chemical substances

What dyes, finishes and treatments may contain.

  • Listed textiles and leather articles may not contain azo dyes that can release the aromatic amines in Annex 7 above 30 mg/kg (HKV Article 21).
  • Arsenic and lead compounds may not be used to treat textile materials (HKV Article 22).
  • Tin from dioctyltin compounds may not exceed 0.1% by mass in textiles, gloves, footwear, baby articles including nappies, and feminine hygiene articles (HKV Article 22).
  • Textiles and footwear covered by entry 72 of Annex XVII to the EU REACH Regulation may not contain the listed substances at or above the limits in its Appendix 12 (HKV Article 22).

How we help: Compliant Always reads your test reports against these limits and shows any substance without a result on file. Ask about this

Nickel and metal parts

Metal trims that touch the skin.

  • Articles in direct and prolonged skin contact, including rivets, buttons, zips and metal markings used in clothing, and belt buckles, may not release more than 0.5 µg of nickel per cm² per week (HKV Article 2).
  • A coating on such articles must keep nickel release within the limit for two years of normal use (HKV Article 2).
  • Articles that meet the standards in HKV Annex 1 are presumed to meet these limits (HKV Article 2).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps nickel release reports with each trim and supplier, dated. Ask about this

Flammability

How textiles must behave near a flame.

  • Textile materials may not be so flammable that they pose a disproportionate risk (HKV Article 18).
  • Clothing and yarns for clothing may not allow rapid flame spread over the surface of the fabric without the base structure burning, known as surface flash (HKV Article 18).
  • HKV Annex 5 names technical standards that give effect to these requirements (HKV Article 18).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps flammability test reports with each fabric and garment. Ask about this

Children's clothing and baby articles

Extra rules for the youngest users.

  • Cords and drawstrings on clothing for children up to 14 must keep the risk of entrapment, strangulation or injury as low as possible; garments meeting the standards in Annex 8a are presumed to comply (HKV Article 22a).
  • Baby articles for children up to 36 months may not contain more than 0.1% in total of DEHP, DBP, DIBP and BBP (HKV Articles 13 and 14).
  • Baby articles that can be put in the mouth may not contain more than 0.1% in total of DINP, DIDP and DNOP (HKV Article 14).

How we help: Compliant Always reads your children's range against these rules and shows which items have no test report or standard on file. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
BrandThe garment or textile sold under its name, its claims and its labels.Specifications and test reports read against the HKV in one place.
ManufacturerDyes, finishes, trims and construction that meet the HKV.Test reports kept with each style and lot.
ImporterTextiles brought into Switzerland, and the evidence behind them.Suppliers' documents read and dated before the goods arrive.
RetailerWhat it sells, including information in an official language.Questionnaires answered from the product record.

Cantons

Federal acts and ordinances set the rules. Inside Switzerland the cantons enforce food and utility-article law, each through a cantonal chemist who heads the cantonal enforcement authority; the Confederation enforces at import, export and transit (Foodstuffs Act, Articles 38, 47 and 49).

Labels must be in at least one official language: German, French or Italian. Some rules ask for the language of the place of sale, which differs between cantons.

Questions businesses ask

Which law covers clothing and textiles in Switzerland?
The Foodstuffs Act and the LGV, which treat them as utility articles, with the FDHA ordinance on articles in contact with the human body (HKV) setting the detailed requirements.
Which textiles are covered?
Articles worn on the body, such as clothing and wigs, and furnishing textiles, such as bed linen, tablecloths, upholstery, carpets and curtains (LGV Article 64).
Are azo dyes restricted?
Yes. Listed textiles and leather articles may not contain azo dyes that can release the Annex 7 amines above 30 mg/kg (HKV Article 21).
Does Switzerland follow the EU REACH textile restriction?
Yes. Textiles and footwear covered by entry 72 of Annex XVII to REACH may not contain the listed substances at or above the Appendix 12 limits (HKV Article 22).
What is the nickel limit for zips and buttons?
No more than 0.5 µg per cm² per week for metal parts in prolonged skin contact, with coatings lasting two years of normal use (HKV Article 2).
Are there flammability rules?
Yes. Textiles may not pose a disproportionate fire risk, and clothing may not show surface flash (HKV Article 18).
Are drawstrings on children's clothing restricted?
Yes, for children up to 14. Garments meeting the standards in HKV Annex 8a are presumed to comply (HKV Article 22a).
Can clothing be sold as antibacterial?
Adding substances that give a pharmacological effect, such as disinfectants, is prohibited, and so are claims of disinfecting or anti-inflammatory effects (LGV Articles 47 and 61).
Which language must information be in?
At least one official language of the Confederation; exceptionally another, if consumers are still clearly informed (LGV Article 47).
Who checks textiles on sale?
The cantonal enforcement authorities, under food law. The FSVO publishes recalls and public warnings on utility articles.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in Switzerland?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product, keeps the documents behind each one ready, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in Switzerland and what your paperwork needs to show.

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