Textile, apparel and footwear testing services
Contact 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.
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.
Develop a sustainable supply chain
We are an official solutions provider to the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Program, and we support their vision of the widespread implementation of sustainable chemistry and best practices to protect consumers, workers and the environment. To aid in this mission, we’re ready to help you develop and implement a sustainable supply chain across your organization.
Demonstrate compliance with textile, apparel and footwear safety regulations and global standards
From factory to shelf, we help confirm that your products meet quality, safety and social standards by offering a variety of assurance services.
Custom safety and quality solutions for textile and leather
We make compliance with safety regulations and standards easier by offering tailored solutions specifically designed for the textile and shoe manufacturing industries. Sustainability checks, for example, are one of the most requested services we offer. They include an on-site wastewater assessment, which is based on the ZDHC Program to remove hazardous chemicals in the global textile and leather value chain. These assessments provide actionable information to manufacturers who source goods from water intensive operations, such as leather tanneries and dye operations, in an effort to help you make better, more environmentally friendly sourcing decisions.
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.
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
Services
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.
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