AAFA hails FTC action on textile products labeling

18 Mar '14

2 min read

The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) welcomed the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) final rule making on key updates to the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act. The FTC adopted two proposals supported by AAFA and rejected one proposal opposed by AAFA.

"The labels on your clothes and shoes are one of the most important ways brands and retailers communicate with their consumers," said AAFA Executive Vice President Steve Lamar. "This announcement by the Federal Trade Commission is an important step in updating the guidelines for textile labeling standards in the United States.

These changes, for which AAFA has advocated, will help the U.S. apparel and footwear industry to remain competitive in the global marketplace and reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens."

In May 2013, AAFA submitted comments (AAFA Comments | Joint Comments) to the FTC related to a proposal to amend the rules and regulations under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act (Textile Rules). In the comments, AAFA supported the FTC's proposal to incorporate the updated International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 2076 standard for generic names for manufactured fibers, thus allowing for greater harmonization across the global apparel industry.

AAFA also supported a proposal to allow hang-tags to include performance information without requiring full fiber content disclosure, an issue initiated by AAFA and other organization in recent years. The FTC incorporated both of these important AAFA-supported changes in its final rule.

Furthermore, the FTC did not include in its final rule a proposal strongly opposed by AAFA which would have required annual renewal of continuing guaranties, a form completed by sellers to guaranty products are compliant with the law.

While these guaranties are an important part of the legal process, a requirement for annual renewal would have placed significant compliance costs on businesses without increasing the reliability of the guaranties.

American Apparel & Footwear Association

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