An Analytical Study of National and International Care Label Systems of Textile and Apparel Products

This paper enables stakeholders involved in textile industry to gain an overview of standards used for care labelling and help establish a common standard that could be used as a universal standard. This study provides a comprehensive and detailed an alytical study of care labelling standards adopted by common countries in the textile market. It was found that the development of a universal system for care labeling could enhance the trade of textile articles and assist consumers in caring for textile articles. Universal care label systems could be characterized by two main features of inclusiveness and comprehensiveness. The range of instructions and symbols presented were found different among standards. Insignificant differences in symbols’ shapes were found between standards for bleaching, ironing and professional cleaning. The washing process had the widest variety of instructions; in addition, options were provided by stated standards. Different meanings were found for similar shapes in some tumble drying symbols. The study findings show the importance of enhancing text based standards or the development of an understandable format across as many cultures as possible. The unification of symbols and meanings may be needed to provide global consumers consistent guidance. The efficiency of a detailed standard that provides and covers a wide range of instructions is an important aspect. The visibility and practicality of offering variable options/symbols in one standard is an important aspect for developing a universal care label system.