Founded in 1921 as the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), AATCC is headquartered in Research Triangle Park, N.C., USA. AATCC provides test method development, quality control materials, and professional networking for thousands of members throughout the world.

AATCC test methods are developed by research committees through extensive investigations and interlaboratory comparisons, often taking several years of work. Simplicity, reproducibility, applicability, cost of performing the test, and the time required to perform the test are all important considerations in each development.

As the voice of the U.S. standards and conformity assessment system, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) empowers its members and constituents to strengthen the U.S. marketplace position in the global economy while helping to assure the safety and health of consumers and the protection of the environment.

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers is an educational and scientific organization dedicated to the advancement of engineering applicable to agricultural, food, and biological systems. Founded in 1907 and headquartered in St. Joseph, Michigan, ASABE comprises members in more than 100 countries.

ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), is a globally recognized leader in the development and delivery of international voluntary consensus standards. Today, more than 12,000 ASTM standards are used around the world to improve product quality, enhance safety, facilitate market access and trade, and build consumer confidence.

ASTM Committee D13 on Textiles was formed in 1914. D13 meets twice a year, in January and June, with approximately 200 members attending three days of technical meetings. The Committee currently has jurisdiction of 364 standards, published in the Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Volumes 7.01 and 7.02.

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world’s largest developer and publisher of International Standards. ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 160 countries, one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system. ISO is a non-governmental organization that forms a bridge between the public and private sectors. On the one hand, many of its member institutes are part of the governmental structure of their countries or are mandated by their government. On the other hand, other members have their roots uniquely in the private sector, having been set up by national partnerships of industry associations.

Standardization of:

• fibers, yarns, threads, cords, rope, cloth and other fabricated textile materials; and the methods of test, terminology and definitions relating thereto;
• textile industry raw materials, auxiliaries and chemical products required for processing and testing;
• specifications for textile products.

• Standardization in the field of Circular Economy to develop frameworks, guidance, supporting tools and requirements for the implementation of activities of all involved organizations, to maximize the contribution to Sustainable Development.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products – such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals – has contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products since its founding in 1972.

The FFA regulates the manufacture of highly flammable clothing and interior furnishings. Under FFA, CPSC can and has issued standards. Some examples of standards that have been established are for clothing textiles, vinyl plastic film used in clothes, carpets and rugs, children’s sleepwear, mattresses, and mattress pads.

How to comply with requirements for labeling products made of cashmere, cotton, down, feather, fur, wool, rayon made from bamboo or other materials; attaching care instructions to garments; making truthful “Made in the USA” claims, and more.

Care labels can be crucial when consumers shop for clothing. Some look for the convenience of dry cleaning, while others prefer the economy of washable garments. This guide helps you comply with the FTC’s Care Labeling Rule.

This Act deals with mandatory content disclosure in the labeling, invoicing, and advertising of textile fiber products. Under the Act, misbranding is unlawful under the FTC Act, as is falsely or deceptively invoicing or advertising textile fiber products. The Act also directs the Commission to establish a generic name for each man-made fiber that does not as yet have such a name.

This Restricted Substances List (RSL) was created by a special working group of the American Apparel & Footwear Association’s (AAFA) Environmental Task Force. The RSL is intended to provide apparel and footwear companies with information related to regulations and laws that restrict or ban certain chemicals and substances in finished home textile, apparel, and footwear products around the world.

Approved by the Joint Cotton Industry Bale Packaging Committee (JCIBPC), these specifications are intended for use as manufacturing guidelines, and are designed to improve the quality and protection of the cotton bale and to improve the appearance and marketability of the American cotton bale in domestic and foreign markets.

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition is a group of global apparel and footwear companies, associated members of the supply chain, academics, and environmental and social non-profit organizations who recognized that addressing the industry’s current social and environmental challenges are both a business imperative and an opportunity. The Coalition seeks to lead a shared vision of industry supply chain sustainability through the creation and use of the Higg Index. In measuring and evaluating apparel and footwear product sustainability performance through the Higg Index, the Coalition aims to spotlight priorities for action and opportunities for technological innovation.

The Sustainability Consortium is an organization of diverse global participants working to make the world more sustainable through better products, services, and consumption. We develop and promote science and integrated tools so that together we can improve informed decision making for product sustainability throughout the entire product lifecycle across all relevant consumer goods sectors.