Australia Updates Care Labelling Requirements
A new information standard on textiles has been issued in September 2023 and replaces the previous longstanding standard for care labelling.
Textile products, including clothes and other household softline products, may be labelled according to international standards in the future.
The new Consumer Goods (Care Labelling) Information Standard 2023 has been created to facilitate trade for companies by easing the requirements for care labelling of textile products. It repeals the previous Consumer Product Information Standard Care Labelling for Clothing and Textile Products (Consumer Protection Notice No. 25 of 2010) and explicitly states the transitional periods for labelling.
Until the publishing of this instrument, care labelling was required to be done based on the specific national standard AS/NZS 1957:1998 Textiles—Care labelling. This has now been amended to allow textile products to also be labelled according to ISO 3758:2012 Textiles—Care labelling code using symbols. The scope has been kept the same, however, explicitly exempts some products from this standard for care labelling, including second-hand products, footwear, etc.
The standard has been in force since 5 September 2023 with the permittance to label according to ISO 3758:2012 starting on 5 March 2024. The text can be viewed HERE.
