By Jose Antonio Gonzalez Carranca
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This law dictates that the majority of textile products, especially those ready for consumer sale, should have a label that contains, in English, the following information: fiber content, country of origin, and the identity of the manufacturer or the party responsible for handling the merchandise. In addition, the product should contain information regarding its care.
Fiber Content
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As previously mentioned, fiber content and its percentages should be included on labels. In order to do this, one must comply with indicated guidelines included in the regulations. So, manufacturers should state the generic name of the fiber together with its percentage (if over 5 percent). If the product contains just one type of fiber, manufacturers may use the term, “All” on its label. For example, “100% Wool” or “All Wool.” This only applies to fibers contained in textiles and clothing. The parts of a product that are made of plastic, glass, wood, metal, or leather, like buttons, zippers, or leather applications, do not need to be included on a label. If the percentage of a certain fiber is less than 5 percent of the product, the terms “Other fiber” or “Other fibers” may be used in its label. Certain fibers do qualify as exceptions to this rule, however. If the product contains wool, for example, the percentage must be indicated even if it is less than 5 percent of the product. The law grants a 3 percent margin of error concerning the numerical content of fibers contained within a product. So, if the label of a product reads 40 percent cotton, it may include as much as 43 percent or as little as 37 percent. But this does not mean that consumers can be intentionally misinformed, if it is known that 37 percent of the product is of a certain fiber, then that percentage should be indicated on the label.
Country of Origin
According to the law, textile products should clearly indicate the country in which they were processed or manufactured. The US Customs Service and the US Border Protection Service could have different policies regarding this rule. For example, the FTC does not require product labeling until it is ready for retail sale. On the other hand, the US Customs Service can require that a semi-finished product contain a label stating its country of origin. Exporters should comply with requirements from both the FTC and the US Customs Service.
Manufacturer, importer, or other businessperson ID
Textile product labels should include the name of the company or the Registered Identification Number/RN of the manufacturer, importer, or the company that sells or distributes the product. The FTC issues this number, which can be used by any US company that manufactures, imports, or distributes/sells textile products. RN’s are not granted to companies residing in the United States.
The label of a product sold in the United States, should include information to which it has made reference. The way to do this differs depending on the product, so one should consult corresponding regulations. The mandatory information may be on one label or separate. This information can be attached to the label that talks about how to care for the clothing and should be clear and accessible to the consumer.
It is also required that fiber content information be of the same type and size of writing; no one piece of information can be highlighted over another. The country of origin should always appear on the front of the label, while fiber content and manufacturer ID should appear on the back of labels. Labels should be attached to clothing products so that consumers can easily read both the front and back of them.
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