Procedures for Labelling of Footwear

Issued pursuant to Section 21
of the Consumer Rights Protection Law

1. These Regulations prescribe footwear that requires special labelling, and the procedures for labelling thereof.

2. These Regulations do not apply to:

2.1. used footwear;

2.2. footwear utilised as individual protection equipment; and

2.3. toy footwear.

3. Footwear shall mean products intended to protect or cover the foot, with applied soles, as well as separate parts of footwear (all products described in Chapter 64 of the Combined Nomenclature of Latvia shall be regarded as footwear), including:

3.1. slippers and other house shoes;

3.2. high-heeled shoes for indoors or outdoors wear;

3.3. half-boots, ankle-boots, thigh-boots, knee-boots;

3.4. sandals of various types, espadrilles (shoes with canvas uppers and soles of vegetable material), tennis shoes, running and other sports shoes, bathing sandals and other casual footwear;

3.5. special sports footwear, designed for a sporting activity and has, or has provision for the attachment of, special components (spikes, studs, stops, clips, straps or similar details);

3.6. footwear for dancing;

3.7. footwear formed from a single piece, particularly by moulding rubber or plastics, except disposable footwear of flimsy material;

3.8. overshoes worn over other footwear;

3.9. disposable footwear with applied soles; and

3.10. orthopaedic footwear.

4. The labelling of footwear shall convey information regarding materials used in the following parts of the footwear:

4.1. the upper (the structural element half which is attached to the sole);

4.2. the lining and sock (lining of the upper and lining of the insole constituting the inside of the footwear); and

4.3. the outer sole (the bottom part of the footwear that is subject to abrasive wear and attached to the upper).

5. The labelling shall be affixed or attached to the footwear (at least one of each pair) by printing, sticking an adhesive label, marking, embossing or using an attached label.

6. The labelling shall convey information regarding the material constituting at least 80% of the surface area of the upper, lining and sock of the footwear, and the volume of the sole. If no material constitutes at least 80%, the two main materials utilised in the footwear shall be indicated.

7. Parts of the footwear, as well as the materials utilised in the footwear, shall be conveyed by a pictogram or a written indication (Annexes 1 and 2).

8. The pictogram of the material shall be indicated next to the pictogram of the relevant part of the footwear.

9. The material of the upper of footwear shall be determined without taking account of accessories or reinforcements (ankle patches, edging, ornaments, buckles, eyelet stays or similar elements).

10. It is the duty of the manufacturer or importer of footwear to convey information on the labelling in accordance with these Regulations.

11. If an inspection determines that the information conveyed on the labelling does not conform to the materials used in the footwear, the manufacturer or the seller shall cover expenditures for the samples and analyses.

12. These Regulations shall come into force on 1 January 2000.

Prime Minister A. Šķēle

Minister for Economics V. Makarovs

Annex 1
Cabinet Regulation No. 273
3 August 1999

Pictograms of Parts of Footwear

No.	Name of the part of the footwear	Pictogram
1.	Upper
2.	Lining and sock
3.	Outer sole

Minister for Economics V. Makarovs

Annex 2
Cabinet Regulation No. 273
3 August 1999 273

Descriptions and Pictograms of Materials Used in Footwear

No.	Material	Pictogram	Description of material
1.	Leather		Leather has an original fibrous structure, tanned so as to be waterproof. It may be hide or skin which has not been split into layers, hide or skin which has been split into layers, or hide or skin which has been segmented either before or after tanning. If tanned leather is disintegrated mechanically or chemically into fibrous particles, small pieces or powders and, with or without special agents, is made into sheets or articles of other forms, it shall not be regarded as leather. If the leather has a surface coating, it shall not be thicker than 0.15 mm. The term "āda ar visu apmatojumu" [full grain leather] applies to leather bearing the original grain surface with the epidermis removed, and with none of the surface removed by buffing, splitting or other method
2.	Coated leather		Leather where the surface coating applied to the leather does not exceed one third of the total thickness of the article, but is thicker than 0.15 mm
3.	Textile materials		Natural textile materials and synthetic or non-woven materials
4.	Other materials

Minister for Economics V. Makarovs

Translation © 2002 Tulkošanas un terminoloģijas centrs (Translation and Terminology Centre)