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Textile and Apparel Market Report - Ecuador

Ecuador

Market Report
Textiles, Apparel, Footwear, and Travel Goods

The following information is provided only as a guide and should be confirmed with the appropriate overseas market authorities before embarking on any export activities.

OFFICE OF TEXTILES AND APPAREL (OTEXA)

Import Tariffs and Customs Requirements

Ecuador is a member of the Andean Community - CAN along with Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru.  Although CAN has a common external tariff (CET) that applies to imports from third countries, it is a phased tariff structure that reflects the similar orientation of each member’s tariff policies.  The CET does not appear to be harmonized for textile and apparel products.  Import duties are quoted ad valorem on the c.i.f. (cost, insurance and freight) value of shipments.  However, a few specific duties based on units of weight or measure remain. 

For more information on Ecuador’s tariff rates, see OTEXA’s Foreign Market Reports page.

Sanitary Registration Certificate—Importation of medical disposable products is subject to authorization from the Ministry of Health and requires a Sanitary Registration Certificate.  The National Hygiene Institute, the official laboratory of the Ministry of Health, is responsible for granting and regulating registrations and approvals for the sector.  

For information on local customs requirements and documentation, see:

See additional customs and import regulation information in the Country Commercial Guide for Ecuador.

Standards

Certificate of conformity—Imports of certain textile and apparel products be accompanied by a certificate indicating conformity to Ecuadorian standards, standards of the International Standards Organization, or other accepted international standards and technical regulations.  The certificate, which is required to obtain an import permit, must be issued by an institution in the country of origin that has been approved by the Servicio Ecuatoriano de Normalizacion (INEN), the ISO, or other recognized authority.

Resolution No. 002-2008 of CONCAL (National Quality Council) requires importers of products subject to mandatory INEN technical standards to obtain a Certificate of Conformity from INEN.  Textile, apparel and footwear products subject to labeling requirements must comply with the above Resolution.  Resolution No. 001-2008 specifically identifies apparel and textile home furnishing products in HS chapters 61-63 as subject to mandatory standards.

Under RTE INEN 127 - Carpets and Other Floor Coverings, Of Textile Material, carpets and other floor coverings of textile material, must comply with the ASTM D2859 for testing finished textile floor covering materials for flammability, as well as provide meet specific labeling requirements. 

Some standards related to textiles, apparel, and footwear:

  • NTE INEN 255 Quality control. Sampling procedures and attribute inspection tables
  • NTE INEN 257 Clothing size designations. Outer clothing for women and girls
  • NTE INEN 877 Personal protection items. Rubber boots. Requirements
  • NTE INEN 1873 Clothing size designations. Outer clothing for men and boys
  • NTE INEN 1874 Clothing size designations. Baby clothes
  • NTE INEN 1875 Textiles. Items of apparel. Labels. Requirements
  • NTE INEN 1915 Footwear. Sampling
  • NTE INEN 1920 Leather footwear for general use. Requirements
  • NTE INEN 1921 Footwear for general use. Requirements
  • NTE INEN 1926 Work and safety footwear. Requirements
  • NTE INEN 1950 Footwear sizes. Labelling. Requirements
  • NTE INEN 1951 Footwear sizes. Basic characteristics

Local standards organization and other resources:

For more information on Ecuador’s national standards, accreditation bodies, national testing organization(s) and conformity assessment bodies, see the Country Commercial Guide for Ecuador.

Labeling

Labels are required on clothing (including leather and fur), footwear and related accessories (such as belts, bags and headgear), and made-up textile products (including household linens such as sheets, blankets, bedspreads, tablecloths, towels, curtains and similar).  Labels must be in Spanish, although other languages can be used as well.

In Ecuador, labels are classified as technical, brand, hanging, and control, and are defined as follows:

  • Technical labeling indicates the technical characteristics of the product.
  • Brand labeling refers to the trademark and/or logo.
  • Additional or hanging tag labeling contains additional information, such as:  price, size, or anything else that the manufacturer considers necessary as long as it is not misleading.
  • Control labeling contains exclusive information for the manufacturer and is used for internal control purposes.

Only the technical label is mandatory.  The additional label, the control label and the brand label are optional. 

Clothing and Home textiles

Under regulation RTE INEN No. 013 - Labeling of Apparel, Home Textiles and Clothing Accessories for Technical Labeling, products must be labeled with the following information:

  • size code according to NTE INEN 257; NTE INEN 1873 and NTE INEN 1874, where applicable
  • dimensions for household linens
  • percentage of fibers used and/or materials used
  • trade name and tax identification (RUC) of the manufacturer or importer
  • country of origin
  • care instructions according to Annex A of NTE INEN 1875 — care instructions may be in symbols and/or in words 

The requirements also apply to clothing and accessories of leather and fur.  

Footwear

Under regulation RTE INEN 080 - Labeling of Footwear for Technical Labeling, both units in the pair of footwear must be permanently labeled with the information listed below:

  • materials used in the manufacture of the four parts that make up the shoe: uppers, lining, insole and sole 
  • trade name and tax identification number (RUC) of the manufacturer or importer
  • country of origin

Materials used in the manufacture of the 4 component parts of the footwear can be expressed by using text, pictograms or both.  

Leather Travel Goods

Under regulation RTE INEN 157 - Labeling of Leather Goods, travel goods made of leather must have a permanent label including the following information:

  • predominant material composing a) exterior material or coating and b) lining material
  • name and fiscal identification (RUC) of the domestic manufacturer, or the importer
  • country of origin
  • care and maintenance instructions (optional)

Textile Floorcoverings

Under RTE INEN 127 - Carpets and Other Floor Coverings, Of Textile Material, carpets and other floor coverings of textile material,  must comply with the ASTM D2859 for testing finished textile floor covering materials for flammability and include the following information in a permanent label:

  • Type and percentage of the textile fiber (s) used on the surface of use
  • Dimensions, except for carpets and floor coverings in roll
  • Total thickness, in mm
  • Total mass per unit area, in g / m2
  • Recommendations on typical areas of use, for which the product is considered as appropriate
  • Type of manufacturing technique (machine or hand)
  • Company name or manufacturer’s name
  • Country of origin
  • Identification of the lot
  • Cleaning and maintenance instructions
  • Installation instructions, when applicable
  • Number of carpet tiles per box, when applicable

A Certificate of Conformity must be presented to demonstrate compliance with the above technical regulations on labeling. The assessment and certification of compliance must be performed by accredited entities to the Ecuadorian Accreditation Organization (OAE) or designated by the Sub-secretary of Quality of the Ministry of Industry and Productivity (MIPRO).

For additional information and most current regulation texts, see the Servicio Ecuatoriano de Normalizacion (INEN) (Ecuadorian National Standards Service).

For an overview of the different labeling and marking requirements, including any restrictive advertising or labeling practices and where to get more information, see the Country Commercial Guide for Ecuador.

Market Resources 

To explore key resources and events, contact the U.S. Commercial Service in Ecuador.  

Visit OTEXA’s Grow America webpage. 

For more information on exporting textiles, apparel, footwear, and travel goods, go to the Additional Market Information Page on the OTEXA Website.