Comprehensive textile labelling regulation need of the hour

Here’s a classic example of how consumer protection measures have not kept pace with the technological developments. I refer here to textiles. Today, the range of fabrics and the kind of clothes that are available in the market is mind-boggling. Besides the traditional silks and cottons, you have a variety of man-made fabrics and clothing to match every occasion. Moisture-wicking, stretchable workout clothes, anti-microbial underclothes, flame retardant furnishing material, anti-wrinkle formal shirts, well, the list is endless. But in the absence of a regulation stipulating mandatory label information on fabrics as well as ready-to-wear clothes, consumers often become victims of misrepresentation on quality and thereby the price.

Recently, a consumer wrote to me about an expensive saree that she bought — the retailer swore that it was pure chiffon made from natural fibres, but later she came to know that it was a cheap, synthetic imitation. It’s for this reason that information labelling on the nature of the fibres used is absolutely essential. In fact several countries around the world have recognised this and have laws and regulations mandating textile labelling.

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 vis-à-vis textiles. In the United States too, the Federal Trade Commission enforces a similar law. Similarly in the United Kingdom, the Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations protect the interests of textile consumers.

In India, even though the Consumer Protection Act of 1986 recognises the consumers’ right to information and informed choice, there is no such regulation to protect consumer interest. Even what was in place earlier — the Textile (Consumer Protection) Regulation — mandating labelling of textiles — was thoughtlessly taken away from consumers!

The Textile (Consumer Protection) Regulation was first notified in 1988 under Clause 17 of the Textile Control Order, 1986 and later, under the Textile (Development and Regulation) Order of 1993 and 2001. While the order provided for statutory labelling and its enforcement, the regulation went into specifics.

As per the regulation, manufacturers had to provide on the face plait of running cloth, sarees, dhotis and on the attached label on towels, bedcovers, etc, the exact fibre composition of the fabric, besides its characteristics such as colour fastness; also the name and address of the manufacturer, month and year of packing, length and width of the fabric. In addition, the fabric had to indicate on every alternate metre close to the selvedge, the fibre content.

The regulation prohibited incorrect, misleading, illegible or spurious markings.

The office of the regional textile commissioners often tested the fabric to check the accuracy of the fibre composition claimed on the label and prosecuted violators under the Essential Commodities Act. The regulation also gave consumers and consumer orgnaisations, the right to get the fabric tested from any of the accredited textile laboratories.

Then in 2002, the consumer affairs ministry removed from the list of ‘essential commodities’ under the Essential Commodities Act, textiles made of silk, man-made cellulosic and non-cellulosic spun fibres and man-made cellulosic and noncellulosic filament yarns.

Since the Textile (Development and Regulation) Order had been issued under Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, it automatically reduced the scope of the Consumer Protection Order to only textiles containing cotton and wool. Subsequently, another amendment to the Essential Commodities Act in 2006 (that came into effect from February 2007) removed cotton and woolen textiles too from the purview of the Essential Commodities Act, Act, thereby effectively nullifying the labelling regulation and denying the consumers, their right to information.

At least now, the government should keep in mind the consumer’s right to informed choice and bring in a new, comprehensive textile labelling regulation to protect consumers.