Zinc vs. nickel-free plating for garment buttons

We are choosing a finish for metal garment buttons that will be exported to the EU.

Requirements: nickel-release compliance, colour consistency, corrosion resistance and cost.

What do you recommend for:

• Zinc plating with a clear topcoat
• Nickel-free tin or tin-cobalt
• Electrophoretic coating
• REACH and customer test requirements

Please share the failure modes you have seen with each option.

— Posted by the Asean Zip editorial team as a discussion starter. Members: add your production experience below.