EU Safety Gate published 11 serious alerts on clothing, textiles and fashion items between 2 October 2026 and 9 October 2026, eight of them for bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in soft plastic or coated parts. The other three cover C9-C14 PFCA-related substances and nickel release. Every notice cites the REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006, and two also cite the Persistent Organic Pollutants Regulation (EU) 2019/1021.

EU importers of clothing, bags and fashion accessories with soft plastic or coated parts, EU retailers and distributors of those goods, including Zara, Hema, Primark and Asda, online marketplaces listing unbranded plastic bags and fashion accessories into the EU, and EU brands placing China-origin coated textiles and faux-leather fashion items on the EU market must immediately check stock and online listings against the alerted rainwear, jackets, handbags, wallets, sandals and plastic bags, and obtain supplier test reports for DEHP and other restricted phthalates in plastic and coated components under REACH, or authorities order withdrawal from the market, recall from end users, or removal of marketplace listings, and the goods remain non-compliant with REACH.

  • Window : 2 October 2026 to 9 October 2026
  • Alerts : 11 serious alerts, notified by Sweden (5), Belgium (2), Finland, France, Ireland and the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland (1 each)
  • Risk : chemical, dominant substance phthalates (DEHP in 8 of 11 alerts), plus cadmium, SCCPs, PFAS and nickel
  • Product family : clothing, textiles and fashion items
  • Legal basis : REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (11 of 11) and Persistent Organic Pollutants Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 (2 of 11)
  • Official source : Safety Gate SR/02838/26, Safari rain suit

What was recalled

Newest first, one row per notice.

DateProductBrandRiskMeasure
9 October 2026Rain suitSafariDEHP in liningCorrective measures ordered
9 October 2026Toiletry bagUnknownDEHP, cadmium, SCCPWithdrawal from the market
9 October 2026Plastic bag setUnknownDEHPWithdrawal from the market
9 October 2026Children's jacketHemaC9-C14 PFCAWithdrawal from the market
9 October 2026HandbagAsdaDEHPRecall from end users
9 October 2026Plastic bagUnknownDEHP and cadmiumWithdrawal from the market
9 October 2026Plastic bagUnknownDEHP and cadmiumWithdrawal from the market
2 October 2026Plastic bagUnknownDEHP and cadmiumWithdrawal from the market
2 October 2026AnorakZaraPFASCorrective measures ordered
2 October 2026WalletPrimarkDEHPRecall and withdrawal
2 October 2026SandalsFree mondayNickel releaseRecall and withdrawal

The pattern

Eight notices name DEHP as a REACH breach: 0.14% by weight in the plastic bag set, 3.6% in the Safari lining, 7.55% in the Primark wallet, 13.98% to 21% in three plastic bags, and 18.7% in the toiletry bag (with cadmium and short-chain chlorinated paraffins). Those bags also name cadmium up to 0.072%. The Asda handbag names DEHP with no figure. The Hema children's jacket names C9-C14 PFCA-related substances and fails REACH and the POPs Regulation. The Zara anorak (Vietnam) names PFAS above 1000 µg/kg and C9-C14 PFCA-related substances at 260 µg/kg, and fails both acts. The Free monday sandals (Portugal) name nickel release from the buckle of up to 22 µg/cm2/week. Nine products originate in the People's Republic of China.

Who is exposed

Exposure follows who places the goods on the EU market: importers of clothing, bags and fashion accessories with soft plastic or coated parts, retailers and distributors including Zara, Hema, Primark, Asda, Safari and Free monday, online marketplaces listing unbranded plastic bags and fashion accessories, and brands placing China-origin coated textiles and faux-leather items on that market. Five alerts are unbranded.

What to check now

  • Match stock and listings to the alerted rain suit, jackets, handbag, toiletry bag, wallet, sandals and plastic bags, branded and unbranded.
  • Obtain supplier test reports for DEHP and other restricted phthalates in soft plastic, linings and coated parts under REACH.
  • Check cadmium and short-chain chlorinated paraffins where the bag notices name them beside DEHP.
  • Check C9-C14 PFCA-related substances and PFAS on coated outerwear against REACH and the POPs Regulation.
  • Check nickel release from metal parts in prolonged skin contact, as on the sandal buckle, and apply the ordered withdrawal or recall.

Continuous, per-jurisdiction monitoring on Obsidian surfaces a Safety Gate wave of this kind the moment the notices publish.

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EU: chemical safety of clothing, textiles and fashion items (REACH Annex XVII, Safety Gate recalls, phthalates and cadmi
Monitor, for the Chemicals and Advanced Materials industry in the European Union, the chemical safety of clothing, textiles and fashion items: restricted substances in textile and fashion articles under REACH Annex XVII
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