Who is responsible for the accuracy of the care label

Goods which fall under the standard include:. Proper garment care can extend the life of an article considerably, thus greatly increasing the value of the article in the eyes of the consumer.

Proper care labelling not only gives garment owners guidance for best maintenance practices, but also provides potential buyers an opportunity to weigh the additional cost of long-term care, particularly for more delicate fabrics that cost more to maintain. A garment requiring 'dry cleaning' will cost significantly more in the long run than one suitable for regular machine washing, and the consumer has the right to know about the maintenance involved before committing to purchase.

In addition, detailed care instructions, such as 'machine wash cold' and 'wash separately' will allow consumers to both maximize the lifespan of an article and protect other articles from potential dye damage. Care instruction labelling should be: permanently affixed to the article written in English legible relevant and accurate for the article at hand.

It should be noted that care instructions require text, as care symbols alone are not sufficient. Consumers are growing increasingly interested in the source of their merchandise, and clothing and textiles are no exception. It is important to pay attention to accurate origin labelling when manufacturing for, or importing to, the Australian market. Again, cursory attention to this seemingly minor labelling detail can have major consequences if the information you provide is not accurate.

Another challenge for clothing and textile manufacturers is when materials originate from multiple sources. Complex global supply chains can blur the lines of a product's actual 'origins,' and tiny labelling size limits make it impractical to convey more than a word or two about the product's origins. Section of the ACL covers product-origin labelling standards and focuses on three key phrasings:. Manufacturers might want to highlight an article's natural fibers such as wool or cotton.

Sewing Machine Needles Symbol Name Organic A fabric with a majority of certified-organic natural fibres cotton, wool, silk, linen. Recycled A fabric with a majority of recycled fibres, either natural or synthetic principally cotton, wool, linen, polyester, polyamide or silk.

Eco-friendly finishing Dyes and treatments respecting the strictest international standards regarding laundering, the absence of heavy metals, water conservation, pollution-reduction. Garment washable A textile designed to stand up to garment washings and wash-out treatments.

Wind-Proof Property of a fabric that consists of blocking wind; through a weave, impregnation or membrane. Property obtained without the use of elastane or lyrca, by a mechanical retraction of the yarn, or by chemically treating the fabric. Mono-Stretch A fabric that stretches in the warp or the weft, and which regains its initial dimensions after stretching. This property is obtained through the use of elastane, textured yarns or yarns of an elastic nature.

Bi-Stretch A fabric that stretches in the warp and the weft, and which regains its initial dimensions after stretching. Easy-Care Property of a fabric aimed at easing its domestic use. Water-Repellent Finishing process which enables a fabric to resist penetration by water in its liquid form, by oil or dirt.

Liquids run off the fabrics without penetrating it. Water-Proof Property of a fabric which stops water going through.

Breathable-Waterproof Property of a fabric which stops liquid water going through but allows perspiration to exit. A dry micro-climate can thus be maintained between skin and clothing. Coating Finishing process which deposits a specific product on the surface of a fabric to give it special qualities. Membrane Very thin synthetic film, bonded onto a fabric, either freely inserted or laminated, to give it water and wind proofing whilst retaining breathability. Multi-Layer Cloth obtained by a bonding process of two or more materials, each with its distinct properties.

In both cases the cleaner needs to proceed with caution. For example, use a burning test to assess fibre content and tests to assess dye fastness in drycleaning solvent and water. The cleaner should also be aware that where the fibre content or care label has been removed, this may have been done by a customer who has found cleaners have been unwilling to accept the garment due to concerns raised by the nature of the aftercare information.

The care label above is a good example. Jump to page content Accessibility. Log in or Register. Care labelling — The Basics 27 May Contradictory information. Incorrect symbols. Inadequate information.

If you disclose the pile and backing separately, give the ratio between the two as percentages of the fiber weight of the whole. Both natural and man-made fibers must be identified by their generic names. To order a copy of the ISO standard, contact:. A few common fibers recognized by the Commission have different names in the ISO standard. For example, the ISO standard uses the name viscose for the predominant form of rayon, and elastane for spandex.

You may use either name. When a manufacturer develops a new fiber, the name may not be used on labels until it is recognized by the Commission.

The manufacturer may seek recognition by the ISO or petition the Commission. Biconstituent or multiconstituent fibers: If a manufactured fiber is a mixture of two or more chemically distinct fibers combined during or before extrusion, the content disclosure should state:.

The fiber disclosure may include the name of a type of cotton, as long the name is truthful and not deceptive.

This includes use of a trademark that implies the presence of Pima cotton. You may use the term wool for fiber made from the fleece of the sheep or lamb, and the hair of the Angora goat, Cashmere goat, camel, alpaca, llama, or vicuna. Specialty fibers may be called wool or identified by their specialty fiber names: mohair, cashmere, camel, alpaca, llama, vicuna. Not all fibers from the Cashmere goat are considered cashmere under the Wool Act and Rules.

If fibers from a Cashmere goat do not meet this definition, the label should identify them as wool rather than cashmere. If you use the name of a specialty fiber, the percentage of that fiber must appear on the label. If you use specialty fiber names, they must appear on the required fiber content label and in any other references to the fibers. If the garment has a small amount of cashmere, and you draw attention to that fact in some way, cashmere should be listed on the label with the actual percentage.

As with other fiber content disclosures , all parts of the fiber information must be in type of equal size and conspicuousness.

This disclosure would not be required if the item consists of only one type of fiber. The Act and Rules permit the use of the above terms to describe wool in products that consist entirely of wool as well as wool blends. Marketers may average the diameter of warp and filling yarns to determine overall fineness. The hair or fiber of new varieties of cross-bred animals, like Cashgora hair or Paco-Vicuna hair, can be disclosed this way, too. Note: If a hair or fur fiber is attached to the animal skin, it is covered by the Fur Rules.

You may use a fiber trademark on a content label as long as it appears next to the generic fiber name. The type or lettering of the trademark name and the generic name must be equally conspicuous and of the same size. When a fiber trademark appears on any label, make a complete fiber content disclosure the first time the trademark is used. Fiber trademarks or generic names that appear on non-required labels or tags must not be false, deceptive or misleading.

The disclosure must be clear and conspicuous. But this disclosure is not required if the hang-tag identifies the only fiber in the item.

The information on the hang-tag must not be false or deceptive as to fiber content. If you use a fiber trademark in your advertising, including in your ads on the internet, you must disclose the fiber content at least once in your ad. However, if the advertised product contains more than one fiber — other than ornamentation — your disclosure of the content must include the fiber trademark and generic name of the fiber immediately next to each other in lettering of equal size and conspicuousness.

If the advertised product contains only one fiber — other than ornamentation — the fiber trademark and generic name of the fiber must appear immediately next to each other at least once in the ad in lettering that is clearly legible and conspicuous.

However, if you know or can determine the fiber content, you must give the full content disclosure. If fabric samples or swatches are used to promote the sale of textile products, the samples or swatches must be labeled with all the required information unless they are:. Note: Fiber percentages may be rounded to the nearest whole number.

For example, No tolerance is allowed if the label states that a product contains one fiber, exclusive of allowed amounts of ornamentation or decorative trim. Customs and Border Protection has country of origin labeling requirements separate from those in the Textile and Wool Acts and Rules. For example, FTC Rules do not require labeling until a textile product is in its finished state for sale to the consumer.

Textile products imported in an intermediate stage may be accompanied by an invoice with the required information in place of being labeled. However, Customs may require that an unfinished product be marked with the country of origin.

Manufacturers and importers must comply with both FTC and Customs requirements. A textile product made entirely abroad must be labeled with the name of the country where it was processed or manufactured. Importers and other marketers should check Customs regulations to determine the appropriate country of origin for products made entirely abroad.

The determination depends on the type of product and the country or countries where processing or manufacturing occurs. The Textile and Wool Acts require disclosure of the country where an imported product was processed or manufactured. So it is not sufficient to disclose that a product was made in the European Union, for example, instead of the specific country where it was made.

The label must indicate that the product contains imported materials. If processing or manufacturing takes place in the U. Note: There are special requirements for the placement of country of origin information.

The name of the country of origin must appear in English. Abbreviations like U. Britain and other spellings close to the English version — Italie for Italy, or Brasil for Brazil — may be used if they clearly identify the country.

You can place a symbol like a flag next to the name of a country to show the item is a product of that country.