As producers, importers and retailers, the value of your brand depends, in large part, on the durability and quality of your products. Following care label instructions will ensure that the garment's appearance will be maintained after repeated cleaning treatments.

How do you ensure that the care labels placed on your products are easily understood by consumers and those who clean them, while complying with national and international labeling requirements? All countries have standards for care instructions that apply to clothing, bedding and decorative fabrics, among others.

CARE LABEL REQUIREMENTS

The ISO 3758 standard on ISO care labeling was prepared by Technical Committee ISO / TC 38, Textiles, Subcommittee SC2, Cleaning, finishing, and water resistance testing and is the most widely used by Latin American and Europe countries as part of their Care Labeling Standards. The care symbols used in this standard are based on the Ginetex labeling system and the symbols are registered as international marks.

A correct care label according to Ginetex specifications requires at least four and sometimes up to five symbols in the following sequence: 1) Washing 2) Bleaching 3) Ironing 4) Dry cleaning 5) Drying.

On the other hand, we have the American System known as ASTM-D5489used in USA and Canada. According to the Federal Trade Commission's rule on Care Labels, these can be composed of words or symbols. Regardless of whether the content is words, symbols, or both, the care instructions appear in the following order:

1. Machine wash / hand wash / dry clean

2. Washing temperature (hot / warm / cold)

3. Wash Cycle (delicate / permanent press / normal)

4. Bleaching instructions (Do not bleach / any bleach when needed / Only non-chlorine bleach)

5. Drying Method (tumble dry / hang to dry / drip dry / dry flat / do not wring)

6. Ironing (do not iron / cold iron if needed / warm iron / hot iron)

7. Warnings (Do not use fabric softeners, do not steam)

Care labels should be permanently attached to the garment so that they can be easily seen at the point of sale and resist home laundering to remain legible for the life of the product. If the product is packaged, on display or folded and customers cannot see it, care information should also appear on the side of the packaging or on an additional label.

Additionally, the care label should warn the customer about additional factors that may damage the garment.

The basic information that all care label should show is as follows:

· Origin. The country where the garment is manufactured.

· Size. If the garment is for export sales, the size should be provided in Spanish, English and French. This will also depend on the countries to which it will be exported.

· Company name. This is the registered name of the company that owns the brand.

· Care instructions and symbols. In addition to the international standards mentioned above (ISO3758: Europe, Latin America, China and Japan - ASTM-D5489: USA and Canada). There are also countries with their own standard: South Korea (KS K 0021:2018) and, Australia and New Zealand (AS/NZS 1957:1998).

· Manufacturer or trading company. Name of the company that manufactured the product in case the manufacturing process is subcontracted or of the company that is in charge of sale or exporting the product.

· Fiber Content. The content of fiber or material that makes up the parts of the garment should be described in percentages from highest to lowest.

Following the instructions on the care label ensures that the appearance, size and dimensions of the product will have little variation from its original state after use, preserving the brand's promise of quality.