North America Softlines Testing Laboratory

We work with domestic textile and apparel manufacturers and suppliers to meet retailer testing program requirements and to provide third-party verification of compliance with U.S. and global chemical and physical safety regulations (including ASTM, AATCC, CPSIA, CFR, ISO and GB). Intertek’s North America team can also validate fabric performance and functional claims, perform benchmarking studies and failure analysis, assist with product research and development, support government contract apparel manufacturing programs and provide post-manufacture inspections to help identify shipments that do not meet quality requirements. Our North America lab supports your testing needs for the following Softlines products.

Textiles & Apparel:
From verifying care label instructions, fiber content and garment construction quality, confirming compliance to chemical and safety regulations to supporting your Made in the USA claims, your clothing and apparel needs to meet not only regulatory requirements like flammability (CFR), but also consumer demand for quality and durability.

Children’s Clothing:
Beyond quality and performance, children’s clothing (e.g., sleepwear) is held to more stringent regulatory requirements, such as section 108 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) for chemicals, flammability, mechanical hazards (e.g., drawstrings, small parts) and labeling.

Activewear & Outdoor Gear:
Where fashion meets function, consumer demand for fabrics that wick moisture, provide UV protection, keep them dry in the elements, repel stains and inhibit bacteria growth has created the need for functional fabrics used in activewear, outerwear, upholstery, camping gear (e.g., tents, sleeping bags) and footwear.

Restricted Substances Lists (RSL):
From California’s Proposition 65 to the Washington State Children’s Safe Products Act, local, state and federal governments and consumers alike are more concerned than ever about the existence of hazardous chemicals like lead, formaldehyde, and flame retardants in consumer textile products.

Footwear & Leathergoods:
It important to not only test for regulated chemicals like lead and cadmium are commonly found in shoes and leather accessories like belts, wallets, and purses,but also for physical characteristics like seam strength, physical durability and small parts hazards.

Home Textiles:
Home furnishings like curtains, table linens, bed sheets, comforters, towels, rugs, upholstery and pillows may need to meet regulatory requirements, including fiber identification or flammability standards like California’s Technical Bulletin 117 (TB 117), as well as quality and performance properties desired by consumers like colorfastness, stain repellency, water absorption, quick-dry and thread count.

Fashion Accessories:
Whether verifying safety or quality, testing is important for brands and manufacturers of fashion accessories like handbags and purses, scarves, hats, gloves, as well as leather products.

Medical Textiles:
Growing demand for high-performance properties in medical textiles means suppliers need to verify special claims through testing of products such as surgical and non-surgical gowns, medical scrubs, and hospital bed linens, like Impact Water resistance AATCC 42 needed for the AAMI PB 70 standard.

Additional Services:

Inspection:
Intertek’s U.S. inspectors visit clients’ vendors and importers’ distribution centers and warehouses to validate the specifications, workmanship, value and safety of your products manufactured in North America or imported from overseas, providing assurance of the quality of products your consumers purchase.
Training and Education: From on-site technical seminars and webinars to lab tours, Intertek keeps you up to date on changing regulations, trends in textile technology and new testing methods.

Mill Qualification Program (MQP):
Intertek developed a standardized approach for mill performance measurement in key areas, including social considerations, quality assurance, lab certification and environmental sustainability. MQP has emerged as the perfect tool for evaluating, benchmarking and monitoring mills’ performance and ultimately ensuring improvement.