January 1, 2018 The Russian government mandates that all footwear sold in Russia by the domestic footwear industry must be tagged with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. Complete information on RFID tagging footwear, including country of origin, manufacturer and importer details, and final retailer. The move aims to curb the sale of smuggled and illegally imported footwear.
In fact, the Russian fur electronic identification system with reference to the United States, Italy, Britain, Belarus and other countries related items electronic identification system. Moreover, on 28 May 2015, the Eurasian Economic Council's board of directors signed a decree agreeing to implement the electronic logo on fur products.
Russia Since April 2016, fur coats on the domestic market have been mandated to be RFID-tagged at wholesale and retail distribution levels, while the member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (excluding Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) have also implemented the same measures. Effective from August 12, 2016, non-artificial fur garments without electronic tags shall be banned from buying, storing, using, transporting and selling within the Union. The move will crack the "gray" import of fur garments. According to expert estimates, 70% -85% of the fur garments in the Eurasian Economic Union countries market are not smuggled for customs duties and taxes or are manufactured in underground factories in the Union without paying the corresponding domestic taxes.
The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, which oversees the introduction of RFID technology in the fur industry, believes that the measures are very effective and will not only ensure that the fur industry in the country operates legally, but for the first time display the true size of the industry. According to information provided by the Ministry, the average annual sales of Russian fur coats are about 400,000 pieces, while in 2016 fur manufacturers and traders ordered as many as 6 million pieces of labels.
It is almost certain that the labels used in the footwear industry should be slightly different from the fur industry. Fur products are very expensive and cost about $ 0.7 per label, which is negligible for the fur industry. However, the price per pair of shoes can be as low as 3 to 5 US dollars, such as cheap summer sandals, therefore, the cost of labeling the footwear industry is indeed a heavy burden.
Overall, most of the major Russian footwear companies, including Kari, Zenden, ObuvRossii, Ralf Ringer and Econika, welcomed the new initiative as creating a level playing field for all retailers. However, they are concerned about the extra costs of the measures, especially in upgrading the information technology system and employing additional staff.
As of January 1, 2018, the sale of footwear without RFID tags will be fined. As a result, many retailers may be able to sell the inventories at a low price this autumn before the law is implemented. In the case of the fur industry, the price of fur products in Russia plunged twice before the introduction of mandatory labeling measures.
As for the footwear industry, the Russian government recommends that all footwear, regardless of cost, apply the RFID tag regulations. However, according to some traders, it would be fairer for the regulation to be applied only to expensive leather shoes. However, most major shoe companies consider that this may create loopholes for the dishonest retailers, importers and distributors to take advantage of. .
To this end, inspection and quarantine departments to remind the relevant export enterprises, pay close attention to this provision, seize the opportunity to promptly get in touch with the governments and enterprises in the countries of trade, in strict accordance with the relevant requirements of the Russian government, control the quality of products for trade initiative.
