Service

Textile, Apparel and Footwear Testing

Partner with UL Solutions for support in your drive to exceed consumer expectations for safety, quality and durability and to meet sustainability goals.
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Simplified compliance testing for textiles, apparel and footwear

Fashion retailers, brands and manufacturers must find a way to differentiate their sustainable, quality apparel, textiles and footwear in the marketplace to consumers who are increasingly skeptical about marketing claims. It is also essential to stay current with an increasingly complex regulatory landscape. Partnering with UL Solutions simplifies these challenges, making it easier to access the global marketplace and build brand trust.
 

A woman looking at a blouse while out shopping in the city for the day.

Textile, apparel and footwear testing services with laboratories across the globe

By having an in-depth understanding of the footwear, textile and apparel industries, we are well-versed in the standards, chemical requirements, and risks associated with the procurement, construction and performance of these items. This knowledge enables us to offer a full suite of services to help you comply with the regulations needed to manufacture, sell and distribute your products.

Our state-of-the-art laboratories around the world can test for quality and durability — criteria based on consumer expectations — and we have significant experience in helping fashion and luxury brands maintain stringent quality controls across their entire supply chain.

UL Solutions’ chemical testing and chemical management service can help you untangle the complicated map of regulations across the world and take a more sustainable approach.

Textile, apparel and footwear testing services with laboratories across the globe

By having an in-depth understanding of the footwear, textile and apparel industries, we are well-versed in the standards, chemical requirements, and risks associated with the procurement, construction and performance of these items. This knowledge enables us to offer a full suite of services to help you comply with the regulations needed to manufacture, sell and distribute your products.

Our state-of-the-art laboratories around the world can test for quality and durability — criteria based on consumer expectations — and we have significant experience in helping fashion and luxury brands maintain stringent quality controls across their entire supply chain.

UL Solutions’ chemical testing and chemical management service can help you untangle the complicated map of regulations across the world and take a more sustainable approach.

A woman looking at a blouse while out shopping in the city for the day.

UL Solutions and ADEC Innovations Join Forces for Chemical Management in Fashion

UL Solutions partners with ADEC Innovations, the technology provider behind the supply chain software as a service (SaaS) platform CleanChain, to enhance chemical management across global supply chains in alignment with the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) initiative for the apparel, footwear and accessories industry. With this partnership, CleanChain platform seamlessly integrates into UL Solutions services, offering a cohesive and data-driven solution for chemical management across the entire supply chain providing greater visibility into chemical inventories, managing chemicals hazardous to human health and the environment, and driving continuous improvement in sustainability performance. The bundled solution includes official ZDHC trainings for the value chain, wastewater testing and reporting, MRSL certification and monthly ZDHC Performance InCheck reports generation.

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Testing to ISO standards for textiles

We're equipped to test against the following ISO standards for the textile industry: 

ISO 105 series on colorfastness test

The ISO 105 series includes methods for determining the resistance of the color of textiles in various conditions and environments. This includes the resistance to rubbing, organic solvents and the action of nitrogen oxides during combustion and at elevated temperatures.

ISO 6330 Domestic washing and drying procedures for textile testing

This set of procedures details domestic washing and drying procedures to evaluate the attributes of fabrics as well as the performance of apparel, home products and other textile end-products. These textile quality and performance evaluations include smoothness appearance, dimensional change, stain release, water resistance, water repellance, color fastness to domestic laundering and care labeling.

ISO 12945 series on pilling, fuzzing and matting

This series specifies a method for determining the resistance of textile fabrics to pilling, fuzzing and matting. This is done using a rotating pilling box apparatus that allows fabrics to be ranked by their susceptibility to pilling, fuzzing and matting during end-use wear.

ISO 12947 series on abrasion resistance

ISO 12947 details the procedure for determining the abrasion resistance of fabrics. ISO 12947 includes requirements for the Martindale testing apparatus, determination of specimen breakdown, determination of mass loss and assessment of appearance change

Textile and apparel services

  • Development fabric and production testing
  • Chemical management
  • Chemical testing
  • Restricted Substances List (RSL) support
  • Restricted substances
  • Care instruction and labeling
  • Flammability


  • Colorfastness and lightfastness
  • Fiber analysis
  • Dimensional stability, durability and performance
  • Promotional claims testing
  • Children’s apparel risk assessments
  • Quality inspections
  • Manufacturing and social compliance audits

Footwear services

  • Product testing to international standards
  • Chemical testing including detection of aromatic amines derived from AZO colorants
  • Testing to state regulations including California Proposition 65
  • Documentation for shipping within Europe
  • Quality inspections
  • Manufacturing and social compliance audits
  • Phthalate testing

We help our clients improve the strength of their global supply chains, optimize product performance, and protect brand reputation.

Newsletter

In the News - Regulatory Updates for Retail and Consumer Products

Consumer product regulations are evolving rapidly. Subscribe now and start receiving this monthly newsletter to stay on top of regulatory changes for your business and navigate compliance challenges.

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