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Labelling
Short summary of EN 12934
1. Field of application of EN 12934
2. Scope
3. Aim
4. What is especially important for correct labelling?
4.1 „New“ fillings
4.2 Waterfowl and/or Landfowl Fillings
4.3.1 Classification of the material
4.3.2 Down and feather percentages
5. May the fowl species be indicated on the label?
5.1 Waterfowl
5.2 Landfowl
5.3 Blends of land- and waterfowl species
6. Labelling according to EN 12934
1. Field of application of EN 12934
The standard establishes provisions for the labelling of the components of plumage for use as fillings (down, feather, other elements) and of fowl species (waterfowl or landfowl).
It is applicable to finished feathers and down.
This standard is not applicable for fillings totally containing more than 0,5% of foreign matter.
2. Scope
Represenatives from 18 European countries have prepared the standard headed by the European Committee for Standardization (Comitee Européne de Normalisation -CEN).
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, and the United Kingdom are bound to comply with the standard.
3. Aim
EN 12934 lays down labeling of filling consisting of down and feathers, and is the first and only labeling standard prepared by and for all EU and EFTA states.
4. What is especially important for correct labelling?
- The feathers and down are „new“, i. e.they have not been used as filling material before (the percentage of other elements does not exceed 5%, whitch is decisive for classification of the material).
- Only pure waterfowl fillings (goose and duck) qualify for labelling in classes I, II or III.
- The down and feather percentage shall be indicated on the label.
4.1 „New“ fillings
A filling can only be labelled as "new", if the filling does not contain reprocessed feathers and down. Only fillings containing "new" feathers and down may be labelled as "new". Among other things, reprocessed feathers and down in a filling are perceptible by a high percentage of "other elements" (down fibres, feather fibres, reprocessed feathers and down, residual).
EN 12934 classifies fillings belonging to class I and IV as "new", since a percentage of other elements less than 5 % suggests that these fillings contain "new" feathers and down.
4.2 Waterfowl and/or Landfowl Filings
The filling material is classified by means of percentage of other elements.
| Waterfowl and/or Landfowl Filings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of other elements (%) | Classification | Components and composition | |
| Waterfowl fillings (Goose and duck) | up to 5 | "class I" and/or "new" | Down ...%
Feather ...% |
| more than
5 to 15 | "class II" | Down ...%
Feather ...% |
|
| more than 15 | "class III" | Down ...%
Feather ...% other elements ...% |
|
| Fillings consisting of landfowl or Land- and waterfowl | up to 5 | "class IV" and/or "new" | Down ...%
Feather ...% |
| more than
5 to 15 | "class V" | Down ...%
Feather ...% |
|
| more than 15 | "class VI" | Down ...%
Feather ...% other elements ...% |
|
| "class VII" | (unspecified composition) | ||
4.3.1 Classification of the material
A filling material is classified according to its percentage of other elements. Thus, for instance waterfowl filling material with a percentage of other elements (broken feathers, fibres) not exceeding 5% may be labelled as class I. In this case it is also permissible to indicate "new" on the label.
Waterfowl fillings with a percentage of other elements between 5% and 15% may be labelled as class II. On account of the high percentage of other elements it is assumed that the filling contains considerable percentages of material that has previously been used. Fillings belonging to classes II and III may not be labelled as "new".
Waterfowl fillings labelled as class III with a percentage of other elements exceeding 15% indicate a considerable content of fillings previously used as filling material. In this case, it is mandatory to disclose the percentage of other elements on the label - rounded to the nearest 10 %.
4.3.2 Down and feather percentages
The content of down and feathers of a filling shall mandatorily been indicated on the label, stated in groups to rounded 10 % in decreasing order, except for blends with 85 % feathers and 15 % down.
5. May the fowl species be indicated on the label?
5.1 Waterfowl
The labelling of species is OPTIONAL. The denomination "Waterfowl" may be used in the labelling. The actual waterfowl species (duck and goose) may also be labelled according to the following chart.
| Waterfowl species: Examples for appropriate labelling in correspondence with percentages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage(s) Composition | Denominations | |||
| 100
0 | to
to | 90.0
9.9 | Goose
Duck | pure Goose |
| 89.9
10.0 | to
to | 70.0
29.9 | Goose
Duck | Goose |
| 69.9
30.0 | to
to | 50.0
49.9 | Goose
Duck | Goose / Duck |
| 69.9
30.0 | to
to | 50.0
49.9 | Duck
Goose | Duck / Goose |
| 89.9
10.0 | to
to | 70.0
29.9 | Duck
Goose | Duck |
| 100
0 | to
to | 90.0
9.9 | Duck
Goose | pure Duck |
This is also applicable to class II.
5.2 Landfowl
The labelling of species is OPTIONAL. The denomination "Landfowl" may be used in the labelling. The actual landfowl species (chicken and turkey) may also be labelled.
5.3 Blends of land- and waterfowl species
With blends of land- and waterfowl species the label shall disclose the denominations "landfowl" and/or "waterfowl" in accordance with the following chart:
| Blends of land- and waterfowl species | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage(s) Composition | Denominations | |||
| The fillings shall be labelled according to its plumage content of fowl species in decreasing order and shall be rounded to the nearest 10 % | ||||
| 100
0 | to
to | 90.0
9.9 | Landfowl
Waterfowl | Landfowl |
| 89.9
10.0 | to
to | 50.0
49.9 | Landfowl
Waterfowl | Landfowl / Waterfowl |
| 89.9
10.0 | to
to | 50.0
49.9 | Waterfowl
Landfowl | Waterfowl / Landfowl |
| 100
0 | to
to | 90.0
9.9 | Waterfowl
Landfowl | Waterfowl |
6. Labelling according to EN 12934
| Recommendation for the structure of the label. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Color | Origin | New | fowl species | Class | % of the filling weight, % of the components** |
| * only this information is a labelling requirement. The other information is optional. | |||||
| white | Hungarian | new | Waterfowl-
down and -feathers | Class I | 60% down
40% feathers |
| Alternative: | |||||
| white | Hungarian | new | Waterfowl-
down and -feather | Class I | 60% down
40% feathers |
This filling consists of material which has not previously been used and may be composed of:
- 60% Goose down
- 40% Goose feathers