On September 19, 2012, The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking with the Federal Register to amend trade regulations in 16 CFR 423, which cover Care Labeling on Textile Wearing Apparel and Certain Piece Goods.
The amendments introduced in the Notice include to:
- Allow manufacturers and importers to provide care instructions for professional wetcleaning in labels if it applies
- Allow manufacturers and importers to use the symbol system provided in the "Standard Guide for Care Symbols for Care Instructions on Textile Products" by the ASTM or the ISO "Textiles - Care labelling code using symbols"
- Clarify what constitutes a reasonable base for care instructions
- Update the definition of "dryclean"
The notice also explains that the regulations found on 16 CFR 423, "makes it an unfair or deceptive act or practice for manufacturers and importers of textile wearing apparel and certain piece goods to sell these items without attaching labels stating the care needed for the ordinary use of the product." On July of 2011, the FTC requested comments on the impact and need for this ruling, the benefits to consumers, and the burdens it places on businesses. These comments are posted and reviewed in this notice.
Comments must be received by November 16, 2012. The Notice is scheduled to be published on September 20, 2012.
The full text of the notice is available online here.
