While companies around the world have been unveiling innovative textiles with the use of latest textile technology, experts feel that the trend has also made it extremely difficult for consumers to identify the fabric quality while shopping. They feel that it must be mandatory for the companies to use textile labelling for the consumers to make an informed choice.
Most of the countries around the world do have mandatory textile labelling policies. In Canada, for example, the Textile Labelling Act not only ensures complete label information on a wide range of textiles and textile products, but also provides specific provisions to protect consumers from misleading advertising. In the United States, on the other hand, the Federal Trade Commission enforces a similar law and in the United Kingdom, the Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations protect the interests of textile consumers.
While India also had a regulation in place mandating labelling of textiles, ignorance by the union government in 2007 made sure that no one bothered about it. The Textile (Consumer Protection) Regulation 1988 made label information mandatory on all textiles. This not only helped consumers make the right choice in respect of the fabric, but also protected them from misrepresentation on quality and manipulation of price at the retail level. The Regulation prohibited incorrect, misleading, illegible or spurious markings. However, in 2002, the consumer affairs ministry removed textiles made of silk, man-made cellulosic and non-cellulosic spun fibres and man-made cellulosic and non-cellulosic filament yarns.
Later another amendment to the Essential Commodities Act in 2006 (that came into effect from February 2007) removed cotton and woollen textiles too from the Act, which entirely put a full-stop to labelling requirement. However, experts are of the opinion, the law needs to be enforced in the country again for the benefit of the consumers.
Textilescommittee.nic.in
