Clothing Labels: Accurate or not?

In 2018, ReShare (ENoR member) raised doubts on the accuracy of composition claims on clothing labels on the Dutch market. With the introduction of the Fibersort, a technology able to categorise textiles based on their composition, deviations between the fibre categorisations given by the Fibersort and the composition claims on labels became apparent to ReShare and sorters. The Ministry of Infrastructure & Waterways started a research and the outcomes and conclusions are summarised in a report.

"only 59% of garments in this research had an accurate label, but there is some nuance to the problem when delving deeper into the fibre types. Pure fibres have a label accuracy rate of 77%, whereas the labels on blended composition are only accurate in 41% of the cases."

"Aside from the inaccuracy of labels, their very presence on clothing is a major obstacle for recycling feedstock from both a fibre and colour standpoint. The purpose of labels is to inform consumers when purchasing hte product, but this requirement could be offset by the negative effect of the label on the recyclability of the product."

You can find the full report here.