FTC Important Industry news alerts

New LabelingRequirements for Socks Effective

March 3, 2006

TheMiscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2004 imposesspecial requirements for disclosing the country of origin of socksincluded under Harmonized Tariff Schedule classifications 6115.92.90,6115.93.90, 6115.99.18, 6111.20.60, 6111.30.50, and 611.90.50. Forthose socks, the country of origin must be placed on the front of thepackage, adjacent to the size information. (If the size informationis on the back of the package, the country of origin must still be onthe front of the package.) If the socks are banded together by alabel or hangtag, the country of origin must appear on the front ofthat label or tag.
The new requirements are set forth in the FTC’sTextile Rules at 16 CFR § 303.15(d).

The only exception to this new requirement is for socks included in a package that also contains other types of goods (such as a baby outfit that includes socks as well as other items of clothing).
However, such packages of multiple items must comply with other sections of the FTC’s Textile Rules (see, for example, 16 CFR §§ 303.28 and 303.29).

TheFTC understands that the March 3, 2006, compliance date may createproblems for retailers who have inventories of socks that werereceived before March 3 and are correctly labeled under the requirements in effect before that date. The Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection addressed this problem in a recent letterto Senator Burr stating that FTC staff would not recommend steps to enforce the new requirements against retailbusinesses that are making good faith efforts to comply with the law,but also wish to exhaust inventories of socks received before the effective date.

Federal Register Notice 10/3/96 [TEXT] [PDF]

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Fancy Trim May Require Fancy Care March 2001

Many of today's fashion garments feature decorative trim such as beads, sequins, and glitter. However, these kinds of decorative trim do not always hold up under the care procedures suggested on the care label.
In fact, in recent years, the Federal Trade Commission has brought law enforcement actions against nine manufacturers and importers of women's clothing for allegedly violating the Commission's Care Labeling Rule by placing improper care labels on such garments. The
companies paid $352,000 in total penalties. Some of the problems affecting garments involved in these cases included the following:

Beads

• damaged in drycleaning solvent, sometimes also resulting in stains
  on adjacent areas of the garment;

• Loss of coloring onbeads, sequins, or glitter;

• Removal of trim due to softening of adhesive.

TheFTC's Care Labeling Rule requires manufacturers and importers to attach care labels to textile clothing. The manufacturer or importer must have a reasonable basis for all the recommended care instructions.
The label must:

• Recommend one safe cleaning method -- either washing or drycleaning (unless
  the garment cannot be safely washed or drycleaned, in which case the label must warn "Do not wash - Do not dryclean");

  
  

• Warn against any part of the recommended procedure that may harm the garment or other items cleaned with it;

  
  

• Warn if the recommended procedure must be modified.

  
  

For example, decorative trim such as beads, sequins, and glitter can be harmed in drycleaning, and the usual dry cleaning process (which isdefined in the Rule) may have to be modified for garments containing beads, sequins, or glitter. So, labels for such items sometimes warn that a dry cleaner should use a short cycle, low moisture, low heat, or no steam finishing. In addition, if one or more of the drycleaning solvents used by drycleaners would harm the product, a solvent thatis safe to use must be specified on the label. For example, because the solvent perchlorethylene can damage polystyrene beads, "dryclean" labels on garments with polystyrene beads may need to specify a solvent that can be used safely on the garments. (If all commerciallyavailable types of solvent can be used safely, the label need not mention any type of solvent.)
If your company manufactures or imports garments with decorative trim similar to that described above, we suggest that you carefully review your care instructions and ensure that you have reliable evidence to support them. The following documents are available on our website:

(1) the Care Labeling Rule; and (2) a table listing cases under the Care Labeling Rule.

For more information about proper labeling of textile, wool, and fur products, see the Commission’s business guide, Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements Under the Textile and Wool Acts, also available on this website.

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Lyocell Is a GenericFiber Name; Tencel® Is Not

March 2001

You say Tencel®. We say lyocell.

Commission staff has noticed many garment labels that say Tencel® but not lyocell. When you identify fiber content on a label, or in advertising, you must use the generic fiber name recognized by the Commission. A trademark name alone does not suffice. Lyocell is the generic fiber name for a form of rayon that is often marketed as Tencel®.

Under the Textile,Wool, and Fur Labeling Acts, man-made and natural fibers must be identified by their generic names. A fiber trademark name – like Tencel® – may appear on a label if it appears next to the appropriate generic fiber name, in letters of the same size and prominence. The generic name also must be included in advertising, if the trademark name ismentioned. Before using the Tencel®trademark, you should obtain permission from the trademark owner, Tencel Ltd., a member of the Acordis Group.
For more information about proper labeling of textile, wool, and fur products, see the Commission’s business guide, Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements Under the Textile and WoolActs, also available on this website.

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For Your
Information: May 30, 2008

Commission Approves Retention of
Leather Guides in Their Current Form

Commission
approval of Federal Register notice – Following a public comment period, the Commission has voted to retain the agency’s Guides for Select Leather and Imitation Leather Products, commonly known as the Leather Guides, in their current form. In May 2007, as part of the FTC’s ongoing regulatory review, the agency issued a Federal Register notice requesting comments on the Guides. Adopted in 1996, the Guides address misrepresentations about the composition and characteristics of certain leather and imitation leather products, and state that
disclosure of non-leather content should be made for material that appears to be, but is not, leather. The notice sought comments on the continuing need for the Guides, industry adoption of the Guides, the costs and benefits of the Guides, suggested changes to the Guides,
conflicts or overlaps between the Guides and other regulations, changes in consumer perceptions and preferences, and other issues.

In response to the request for comment, the Commission received four comments. The Federal Register notice announced today, which will be published soon and can be found now on the FTC’s Web site as a link to this press release, discusses the comments, which primarilyconcerned the usefu lness of the Guides and several suggested changes to them. After evaluating the comments, which were submitted by theFootwear Distributors and Retailers of America, the Leather Industries of America, the Sponge and Chamois Institute, and Design Resources, Inc., the Commission has decided to retain the Guides in their current form.

The Commission vote to retain the Leather Guides in their current form was 4-0. (FTC File No. P078008; the staff contact is Susan E. Arthur, FTC Southwest Region, 214-979-9370;
see press release dated May 18, 2007.)

Copiesof the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov

and from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600
Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580. Call toll-free:
1-877-FTC-HELP.