The label on a fur garment: what the law says

On a fur garment, the label is a short document and hard to read for anyone who does not know the codes. It nonetheless holds the essentials: what the piece is made of, and what the seller is obliged to tell you. The European framework is set by Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011. Here is what it requires and how to read what is written.

The governing text

Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council, adopted on 27 September 2011, deals with textile fibre names and with the labelling of the fibre composition of textile products. It is a regulation, not a directive: it applies directly in all Member States, with no national transposition.

Its main subject is fibre composition. It sets the list of authorised names, the way to express them, and the rules for presenting the label. It also covers, and this is what concerns us here, the case of textile products containing non-textile parts of animal origin.

The statement "Contains non-textile parts of animal origin"

The regulation provides that the labelling or marking of textile products containing non-textile parts of animal origin must carry the following statement, in these terms: "Contains non-textile parts of animal origin."

Three points about this wording.

• It is generic. It covers fur, but also leather, horn, bone, mother-of-pearl or silk in non-textile form. It does not say which.
• It does not name the species. The regulation does not require stating whether the animal part is mink, fox or rabbit. That information belongs to the seller's commercial description, not to the regulatory label.
• It says nothing about quantity. A fur collar on a wool coat and a coat fully lined in fur can carry the same statement.

The legislator's aim is to inform the buyer that an animal material is present, so that they can decide knowingly. It is not a technical sheet.

What the statement does not replace

The statement is not a guarantee of quality, nor a certification, nor an indication of geographical origin. It tells you nothing about the tanning, the farming method, or where the pelts came from. A garment can carry it correctly without your knowing any more about what you are buying. Questions of quality are put to the seller, separately.

Reading a composition

The textile part of the label follows a fixed logic.

Percentages

Fibres are expressed as a percentage of the mass, in descending order. "80% wool, 20% polyamide" means the textile part concerned is four-fifths wool by weight. These percentages apply to the textile fibres, not to the whole garment: on a fur piece, they generally describe the lining and the woven elements.

Fibre names

Only the names set out in the regulation may be used. "Wool" has a precise definition. So do "viscose", "polyamide", "polyester" and "acrylic". A trade name or a fibre brand does not replace the regulatory name: it can accompany it, not substitute for it.

Separate parts

Lining, trimmings and main parts may be listed separately. On a coat it is common to find one composition for the outside and another for the lining. Read both: the lining determines the comfort and the lifespan of the piece as much as the visible material does.

Items not counted

The regulation excludes certain accessories from the calculation, such as buttons, fastenings, the labels themselves or reinforcements. Their absence from the composition is not an omission.

What the law requires of the seller

A few practical obligations follow from the regulation and from consumer law applicable in France.

• The labelling must be present, legible and durable. A label that is illegible or detached does not do its job.
• The information must be available before purchase. It must be accessible at the point of sale, including in distance selling: on a retail site, the composition must appear in the product description, not only on the sewn-in label the buyer will find on delivery.
• In France, the information must be written in French. A version in another language may be added, not substituted.
• The statements must not mislead. Presenting faux fur as real, or the reverse, engages the seller's liability for misleading commercial practices.

Two further rules

The fur trade is also covered by texts other than labelling. Two are worth knowing.

Placing cat and dog fur on the market is prohibited in the European Union. It is a general ban, independent of labelling.

Separately, certain wild species fall under the CITES convention and its European implementation. Their trade is regulated and requires specific documents. These rules concern protected species and not the common farmed species of the sector.

What to check when buying

• Look for the statement on non-textile parts of animal origin, then ask the seller which material it refers to.
• Read the composition of the lining as well as the outside.
• On a distance purchase, check that the composition appears on the product page.
• On an older or second-hand piece, the original label may be gone. In that case, examining the material replaces reading the label.

On that last point, our notes on the different furs help identify a material by hand and by eye. To understand how a piece is assembled and what that means for its lifespan, see the page on the furrier's work, along with the introduction to the house.