Grand Duchy of Finland, part of Russian Empire, in 1872, was the first country to place an absolute ban on the manufacture, use, and sale of white phosphorus in matches, followed by Denmark in 1874 and France in 1897. In Great Britain, a ban on white phosphorus matches became effective on January 1, 1910. The international association for labor legislation, an international conference, met at Berne, Switzerland in 1906 and pledged to prohibit the manufacture, importation, and sale of white phosphorus matches. This treaty was signed by Finland, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany, in what is considered as the first international attempt to ban an industrial product.