ISO TC 38 - TEXTILES

NORMAPME works together with CINET (dry cleaners association) in the area of textile care standardisation. Small and medium sized crafts or chains dominate the dry-cleaning market in Europe. The NORMAPME expert, Mr. Chris Tebbs represents the interests of European craftsman in the revision of the care labelling standards in ISO TC 38.

Main focus of the experts work in ISO is the revision of ISO 3758 standard. The revision sets out to incorporate changes in technology and to select the care labels, either from experience based on previous testing history or from fresh testing of new products or combinations of materials and accessories. A clear unified international code system would be very welcome and would be beneficial to dry-cleaners SMEs allowing them to rely on information provided by garments' manufacturers.

Some discrepancies between Europe, USA and Japan prevent the technical committees to quickly draft the international standard. There is disagreement over the minimum and maximum symbols required and whilst this remains at a minimum of five (washing, bleaching, drying, finishing and professional cleaning) and a maximum of seven (the previous five plus additional symbols for drying where natural drying is required), the USA and Japan would wish for no minimum or maximum. The USA would wish to include only a preferred processing method i.e. washing or professional clean but not both. This conforms with their mandatory system under the Federal Trades Commission which requires "a do not" if a process cannot be cleaned by a process without causing damage and by implication suggests that if not mentioned, the garment can be cleaned by any recognised process under either heading.

Therefore the work proceeds slowly and efforts from NORMAPME and CINET are still needed in order to facilitate the standardization process.

Due to this difficult situation at ISO level, CINET also undertook efforts to achieve mandatory care labelling in Europe, and therewith started a dialog with the European Institutions. Mr Luis Filipe Girao, Head of Unit for Textiles, fashion and design industries acknowledged that there was a problem that needed to be addressed and a methodology to do so needed to be determined. Mr Girao would prefer to use an alternative mechanism to introducing Regulations, which would be difficult to process, and he agreed to advise on what he would consider to be the best approach. It was also agreed to raise the matter with the textile industry through Euratex.

For more information please contact Mr Rémi Orth at r.orth@normapme.com