New clothing, household fabric and furnishings you buy must have a label that gives you information about how to care for that good.
By following the care instructions the goods are less likely to be damaged or destroyed and more likely to last for a reasonable period of time.
What goods do the rules apply to?
Most types of new textiles are covered, including:
clothing, household fabrics, furnishings, upholstered furniture, bedding, mattresses and bed bases
plastics and plastic-coated fabrics
suede, skins, hides, grain leathers and furs.
Regardless of whether the good was made in New Zealand or overseas, or was made by machine or hand, it must comply with this standard.
Some textile goods are excluded, including:
second-hand goods
footwear (except hosiery) and textile materials used to manufacture footwear
floor cloths, dish cloths, dusters, cleaning cloths and pressing cloths
haberdashery such as elastic, elastic threads, ribbons, zips and velcro-type fasteners
jute products
goods intended for medical and surgical use as bandages, dressings, sanitary pads, and any materials that form part of manufactured medical and surgical goods.
What are the care labelling requirements?
Care labels:
must be legible and in English
can use internationally recognised symbols (eg, for drycleaning) to accompany the written instructions
must be easy to find by consumers examining the good before purchase
if the good requires a permanent label, the label must be able to withstand the care treatment the good requires and should remain readable and attached through the good's useful life.
The label should include:
general cleaning and care instructions
where appropriate and necessary textile maintenance (eg, air regularly)
any warnings against inappropriate treatment (eg, do not tumble dry).
The label must be a permanent label which you can see when examining the item. It must be on the good, or if it is not able to be seen because of the way the good is packaged, displayed or folded, it should also be on a removable label or the packaging.
Some items, such as gloves, hosiery, shower curtains, and serviettes, don't have to have a permanent label but still need care instructions provided.
Any person supplying, offering to supply or advertising the supply of new textiles that require care labelling information must comply with the regulations.
