On 2 April 2026, Kenya notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of a draft African standard concerning hand-woven fabrics, developed by the African Organization for Standardization (ARSO). The draft standard aims to enhance the quality, safety, and market competitiveness of hand-woven African fabrics. Stakeholders are invited to submit comments by 1 June 2026.
The standard focuses on strengthening performance requirements, ensuring safer textile production, and promoting innovation in the traditional weaving sector across Africa. It is intended to guide manufacturers, SMEs, and textile producers involved in the production of traditional hand-woven fabrics.
Overview of the Standard
The draft standard covers requirements, sampling procedures, and test methods for African hand-woven fabrics. It emphasizes both the preservation of traditional values and compliance with modern quality standards, ensuring that fabrics remain competitive against imported and industrial textiles.
While traditional fabrics hold strong cultural and symbolic significance, the standard acknowledges increasing competition from industrial and imported fabrics. At the same time, African hand-woven textiles continue to be valued for their unique patterns, motifs, and cultural identity, which are attracting interest from designers and international markets.
Scope and Technical Requirements
The standard defines detailed technical specifications for hand-woven fabrics, including:
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Colour fastness requirements under washing, dry cleaning, perspiration, ironing, and friction tests
These parameters ensure consistent quality, durability, and consumer safety for traditional textiles. This approach supports more consistent quality verification across production batches.
Key Safety Focus: Restricted and Banned Dyes (Annex A & Annex B)
A key element of the draft standard is its strict regulation of the chemicals used in textile dyes and pigments. Fabrics must be free from allergenic and carcinogenic substances and the use of substances listed in Annex A is prohibited, as are azo dyes that may release carcinogenic aromatic amines, as set out in Annex B. Compliance is to be verified using internationally recognised test methods, including ISO 14362-1 and ISO 14362-3.
Further details, including the full list of restricted substances, are available in the draft standard notified to the WTO, which is available here.
Conclusion
The draft African standard for hand-woven fabrics represents a significant step toward modernizing traditional textile production while preserving cultural identity. With a strong emphasis on quality control and the strict prohibition of hazardous dyes under Annexes A and B, the standard aims to ensure that African textiles are safer, higher quality, and globally competitive.
