Intertek On The Quality Requirements Of Chinese Infant Clothing

Infants and children are the flowers and hopes of the motherland. Therefore, during their growth, the quality and safety of related articles need to be concerned.

Recently, the hot issue of melamine is also first discovered in infant formula. People will naturally think of whether clothes that are closely related to infant growth will also have problems.

With the continuous improvement of living standards, people's demand for clothing products has not only been satisfied with the rigid and durable categories in the past, but also more and more attention has been paid to their comfort and environmental protection.

Compared with adults, infants and young children should have more stringent requirements for clothing, especially in terms of safety and hygiene, due to their particularity.

1. China's infant and children clothing related quality requirements, at present, the standards related to infants and children's clothing products are: national mandatory standards GB18401-2003, "national textile safety technology and specifications" and GB5296.4-1998 "instructions on the use of textiles and clothing for consumer goods"; product standards (such as FZ/T81003-2003 "children's clothing, student wear", FZ/T 73007-2002 "knitted sportswear", FZ/T 73008-2002 "knitted T-shirts", FZ/T 73021-2004 "knitted student clothes", FZ/T 81004-2003 "dress, skirt sets" and FZ/T 73025-2006 "infant knitted dress").

The main testing items are formaldehyde content, decomposable aromatic amine, pH value, odor, color fastness to water, color fastness to rubbing, color fastness to perspiration, color fastness to saliva, marking, fiber content and physical properties of related products.

Two. The current situation of the quality of infant clothing in China in 2008, before and after the June 1 children's day, including the local quality inspection industry and Commerce Department of Shanghai, Guangzhou, Zhejiang, Shandong and other provinces and municipalities, and the State Administration of quality supervision and quarantine, respectively, carried out product quality checks and checks on the retail clothing for infants and children in the market.

Judging from the situation issued by the quality supervision departments at all levels, although the qualified rate of sampling inspection is uneven, the quality problems of products are mostly concentrated on 6 aspects: fiber content, pH value, azo dyes, clothing instructions, formaldehyde release and color fastness.

1, fiber content is very high. Many enterprises do not know enough about the standard and product quality, or do not have the means of testing and do not want to go to the inspection institution or be driven by interests, resulting in the phenomenon that the content of the wrong mark or unauthorized ingredient is common. The actual cotton content of some products is far less than the nominal value, and some intentionally elevate the high-grade fiber content, or even the logo is completely inconsistent with the actual situation.

Obviously, what is more important here is the consideration of corporate integrity.

2, pH value can prevent the invasion of germs when the human skin is weak acidic. Therefore, the pH value (acid-base) of textiles is beneficial to the protection of human body between slight acid and neutral.

If the pH value of textiles is too high or too low, it will destroy the skin's balance and resistance, susceptible to the invasion of germs, and delicate skin of infants and young children is more vulnerable.

According to the mandatory standard GB 18401-2003, the pH value of infant clothing and direct contact with skin is limited to 4 to 7.5, but spot checks show that the pH value of some related products is as high as 9.3.

The main reason for the disqualification is that the clothing manufacturers have a weak sense of safety and quality in selecting raw materials. Meanwhile, the dyeing and finishing processes of the manufacturers are not strict in controlling the acid and base of pure cotton products and high proportion cotton blended products.

3. Azo dyestuffs will be carcinogenic aromatic amine compounds after long term exposure to prohibited azo dye dyed clothing and human skin. After a series of activation, it will become the inducement of human diseases and the harm to the body is very serious.

The reason is that in order to pursue the beauty of flower pattern, the fabric manufacturers intentionally or unintentionally add azo dyes containing decomposable aromatic amines in the production, while most garment factories do not have their own testing means. When they purchase, they do not have entrusted the testing department to carry out this test, causing harmful products to flow into the market.

4, clothing instructions GB 5, 29, 6, 4 - 8, the mandatory standards for the instructions for the use of textiles and clothing have been promulgated and implemented for many years. The standards clearly stipulate that textile products must be marked as follows: the name and address of the manufacturer; the name of the product; the type and specification of the product; the composition and content of the raw materials; the washing method; the product execution standard; the product quality grade; the product quality inspection certificate and so on.

There are quite a number of products on the label identification of fiber label, no product quality grade, product specification is not standardized, product implementation standard is not accurate, product size is not accurate and product washing symbol is incorrect, misleading consumers.

5, formaldehyde release content formaldehyde is a pungent smell of harmful substances, to the respiratory tract and skin of the skin will produce strong stimulation, can cause respiratory tract inflammation and dermatitis or more serious diseases, usually through finishing agent on clothing fabric.

If there is excess formaldehyde in textiles, it will gradually release with the wearing process. It will cause harm to the human body through the skin and respiratory tract of the human body, especially the skin and respiratory tract of infants and young children.

The main reasons for exceeding the standard of formaldehyde are: first, enterprises do not pay enough attention to the importance of formaldehyde content, and lack of necessary inspection and control means; two, enterprises only pay attention to the fabric's color and texture when ordering fabrics, while ignoring the hygienic indications of fabrics.

6. Color fastness refers to the degree of fading in the process of dyeing and finishing, which is subjected to external factors (extrusion, friction, water washing, rain, exposure, etc.) and is an important indicator of fabric.

The mandatory national standard GB18401-2003 "national textile product basic safety technical specification" stipulates that all kinds of color fastness indicators, category a products (clothing for infants and young children) must be greater than or equal to grade 3~4 or level 4, B products (refers to direct contact with skin clothing) must be greater than or equal to 3 grade.

Good and bad color fastness is directly related to the health and safety of the human body. Some dyed clothes with poor color fastness, when encountering water, sweat or saliva, are easy to fall off, fade, and affect the appearance. The dye molecules and heavy metal ions in the pigment may be absorbed by the skin, especially endangering the child Tong Jiankang.

Three. The introduction of the new standard requires the attention of the concerned enterprises. The product standard of FZ/T 81014-2008 "infant clothing" will be formally implemented in October 1, 2008.

This standard is the first product standard specially formulated for infants and young children (24 months old and below).

The standards clearly stipulate that all provisions relating to clothing safety are mandatory. At that time, infant clothing with unqualified heavy metal residue and safety design will not be sold.

Some quantitative indicators were specified in the standard, for example, formaldehyde content should not exceed 20 mg/kg, and arsenic content should not exceed 0.2 mg/kg.

The standard also requires the addition of decomposable aromatic amine dyes to infant clothing, and no peculiar smell. The pH value is limited to 4.0~7.5.

In addition, infant clothing must be marked "not dry cleaned" on the label, because dry cleaners may contain substances that stimulate the skin of infants and young children.

At the same time, the standard also carries on the standard to the infant clothing design.

In addition, the safety of consumer goods, especially the safety of children's clothing, has attracted the attention of consumers and relevant departments in the world.

In the safety of children's clothing, China's clothing enterprises have frequent disputes in international trade, causing great economic losses every year.

For example, the recall of children's clothing originating in China from the United States and the European Union is mainly due to the failure to meet the safety requirements of the United States and the European Union on children's clothing standards.

Children's jackets and neck bands are easy to be caught and dangerous. When they get on or off, children's waist or hem bands are easily caught and lead to towing accidents.

For the sake of children's physical and mental health, we have comprehensively strengthened the preventive work. In light of the international standards such as the United States and the European Union, and the reality of our country's clothing standards, China is developing the series of standards for children's clothing safety, including the safety requirements for ropes and belts for children's wear, the safety specifications for children's tops and belts, and the implementation and specification of children's clothing design and production for improving mechanical safety.

Four. Suggestions and opinions, with the improvement of people's awareness of green environmental protection, have also paid more and more attention to the safety of clothing, especially infants and children's clothing. Recently, the incidents that lead to the return of goods and compensation due to the failure of clothing safety are the best examples in recent years.

For domestic manufacturers of infant and child clothing, only a safe and reliable product is the foundation for survival and development in the fierce competition of the industry.

Therefore, it is suggested that all relevant enterprises should continuously improve the quality management level, strengthen the training of quality personnel at all levels, adopt advanced technology and technology, select reliable raw materials, and pay more attention to the testing of production processes and product quality, so as to ensure that infants and children's clothing meet the requirements of relevant laws and standards.

Five. Intertek's quality service is the world's leading quality and safety service provider, providing professional and innovative solutions for many industries.

From auditing and inspection to testing, quality assurance and certification, Intertek is committed to increasing value for customers' products and processes, and ultimately promoting customers' success in the global market.

Intertek has more than 1000 laboratories and offices in 110 countries, and over 23000 employees are able to provide customers with the best service through professional technology, resources and global network.

As a member of several standard technical committees under the National Standardization Committee of China, Intertek, with its strong and authoritative technological resources, adhering to the concept of providing innovative solutions to customers and the highest standard service in the industry, has successfully helped many international brands enter the Chinese market smoothly, and has also provided a large number of testing and value-added services for domestic textile and garment import and export enterprises and trading companies.

Similarly, in view of the quality requirements of infants and children's clothing, Intertek can provide various kinds of services related to standards, such as testing services, technical services and consulting training services.