The Textile Products (Indications of Fibre Content) Regulations 1986

Regulation 7

SCHEDULE 1

1.  The indication of the fibre content of a textile product required by Regulations 5 or 6 shall comply with the following provisions of this Schedule.

2.—(1) A name set out in Column 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 2 shall be used in relation to fibre of the description set out in Column 2 of that Part in relation to that name interpreted where appropriate in accordance with the provisions of Part II of that Schedule.

(2) A name so set out shall not be used in relation to any other fibre even as part of a word or phrase or adjectivally. In particular, “silk” shall not be used to indicate the form or particular presentation in continuous yarn of other textile fibres.

3.—(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2), the expressions “100 per cent.”, “pure” and “all” shall only be used in relation to a product if the product is completely composed of one fibre, and similar expressions shall not be used whether or not the product is completely composed of one fibre.

(2) The expressions specified in sub-paragraph (1) may be used in a case where other fibres are present if their presence is due to inadvertent impurities arising during manufacture of the product and not to a systematic addition thereto, and the weight of the fibres due to such reasons does not exceed 2 per cent. or, in the case of a product which has been produced by a manufacturing process in which the final formation of fibres before spinning is determined by a carding process, 5 per cent. of the weight of the product.

The said expressions may also be used when in addition to any fibres mentioned in the preceding provisions of this sub-paragraph there are other fibres present being fibres which—

(a) are intended purely to produce a decorative effect, which are visible and distinct and the weight of which does not exceed 7 per cent. of the weight of the product; or

(b) are incorporated into the product to obtain an anti-static effect and the weight of which does not exceed 2 per cent. of the weight of the product.

Provided that in the case of a product described in paragraph 5(5) below, any such percentage shall be determined separately in relation to the weight of the warp and the weight of the weft.

4.—(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2), the expressions “fleece wool” and “virgin wool” may only be used in relation to a product if the product is composed exclusively of wool fibre which has never been incorporated in a finished product nor been through any spinning or felting or spinning and felting operations other than those required by the manufacture of the product, nor any process or use which has damaged the fibre other than a process or use required by the manufacture of the product.

(2) The expressions “fleece wool” and “virgin wool” may be used to describe wool in a fibre mixture where—

(a) all the wool contained in the mixture is composed exclusively of fibre described in sub-paragraph (1) of this paragraph; and

(b) the weight of the wool in the mixture is not less than 25 per cent. of the weight of the mixture; and

(c) in the case of a scribbled mixture, the mixture consists only of wool and one other fibre.

(3) In the case of a mixture referred to in sub-paragraph (2) the percentage weight of each fibre in the mixture shall be given, and there shall be allowed in giving the indication of fibre content required by this sub-paragraph in relation to the fibre mixture described in sub-paragraph 2(b) only a manufacturing tolerance of 3 per cent. between the indicated and actual percentages in relation to the weight of each type of fibre of the finished product.

(4) For the purposes of the preceding provisions of this paragraph there shall be ignored—

(a) fibrous impurities in the wool not exceeding 0.3 per cent. of the weight of the product;

(b) fibres which are intended purely to produce a decorative effect, which are visible and distinct and the weight of which does not exceed 7 per cent. of the weight of the product; and

(c) fibres which are incorporated into the product to obtain an anti-static effect and the weight of which does not exceed 2 per cent. of the weight of the product.

5.—(1) The fibre content of any textile product composed of two or more fibres one of which accounts for not less than 85 per cent. of the weight of the product shall be indicated either—

(a) by the name of the latter fibre immediately preceded or followed by its percentage of the weight of the product; or

(b) by the name of the latter fibre immediately preceded or followed by “85 per cent. minimum”; or

(c) by the names of all the fibres in declining order of their proportion by weight, immediately preceded or followed by their percentages by weight of the product.

(2) The fibre content of any textile product composed of two or more fibres none of which accounts for 85 per cent. or more of the weight of the product, shall be indicated by the names of those fibres which constitute the greatest and next greatest percentage by weight of the product immediately preceded or followed by its percentage of the weight of the product and the names of the other fibres in descending order of their proportion by weight with or without the percentage by weight of those other fibres.

(3) In relation to any product to which sub-paragraph (2) applies, fibres separately accounting for less than 10 per cent. of the weight of the product may be indicated as “other fibres” if the total percentage of weight of those fibres is given.

(4) In relation to any product to which sub-paragraph (2) applies, where the name of a fibre is given and that fibre accounts for less than 10 per cent. of the weight of the product, the name of, and percentage by weight of, every fibre in the product shall be given.

(5) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this paragraph, where a product has a pure cotton warp and a pure flax weft and the weight of the flax is not less than 40 per cent. of the weight of the unsized material the product may be indicated as “cotton linen union” accompanied by “pure cotton warp—pure flax weft” or “pure cotton warp—pure linen weft”.

(6) Subject to the provisions of sub-paragraph (8) below—

(a) in giving, as part of an indication of fibre content required by the foregoing provisions of this paragraph, any percentage in respect of a fibre or fibres, the indicated percentage may differ from the actual percentage in respect thereof by not more than 3 per cent. calculated on the total weight of textile fibres in the finished product on which the indicated percentage was calculated; and

(b) there shall be allowed in relation to any product to which sub-paragraph (2) above applies, in determining the order in which fibres, other than those fibres which constitute the greatest and next greatest percentage by weight of the product, are listed when their percentage by weight is not indicated, a tolerance of 3 per cent.

(7) For the purposes of the preceding provisions of this paragraph there shall be ignored—

(a) fibres which are present in the product if their presence is due to inadvertent impurities arising during manufacture of the product and not to a systematic addition thereto, and the weight of the fibres due to such reasons does not exceed 2 per cent. or, in the case of a product which has been produced by a manufacturing process in which the final formation of fibres before spinning is determined by a carding process, 5 per cent. of the weight of the product;

(b) fibres which are intended purely to produce a decorative effect, which are visible and distinct and the weight of which does not exceed 7 per cent. of the weight of the product; and

(c) fibres which are incorporated into the product to obtain an anti-static effect and the weight of which does not exceed 2 per cent. of the weight of the product:

Provided that in the case of a product described in paragraph 5(5) above, any percentage referred to in (b) or (c) above shall be determined separately in relation to the weight of the warp and the weight of the weft.

(8) The addition of the tolerances referred to in sub-paragraph (6) above and sub-paragraph (7)(a) above shall be allowed only if any inadvertent impurities which are to be left out of account under sub-paragraph (7)(a) above are of the same chemical type as any of the fibres named in the indication of fibre content.

6.  The expressions “mixed fibres” and “unspecified textile composition” may be used in relation to any product or part of any product whose fibre content is difficult to determine at the time of manufacture.

7.—(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2) below, in determining the fibre percentage of a product there shall be left out of account—

(a) non-textile parts, selvedges, labels and badges, edgings and trimmings which are not an integral part of the product, buttons and buckles which are covered with textile materials, accessories, decorations, non-elastic ribbons, elastic threads and band which are added at specific and limited points of the product and fibres which—

(i) are intended purely to produce a decorative effect, which are visible and distinct, and the weight of which does not exceed 7 per cent. of the weight of the product; or

(ii) are incorporated into the product to obtain an anti-static effect and the weight of which does not exceed 2 per cent. of the weight of the product:

Provided that in the case of a product described in paragraph 5(5) above, any such percentage referred to in (i) or (ii) above shall be determined separately in relation to the weight of the warp and the weight of the weft;

(b) in the case of floor-coverings and carpets, all components other than the use-surface;

(c) in the case of upholstery fabrics, binding and filling warps and wefts which do not form part of the use-surface;

(d) in the case of fabrics for hangings and curtains, binding and filling warps and wefts which do not form part of the right side of the fabric;

(e) in the case of textile products other than those referred to in (b), (c) and (d) above, base or underlying fabrics, stiffenings and reinforcements, interlinings and canvas backings, stitching and assembly threads which do not replace the warp or weft of the fabric, fillings which do not have an insulating function and (except where the fibre percentage of the main lining itself is being determined), linings;

(f) fatty substances, binders, weightings, sizings and dressings, impregnating products, additional dyeing and printing products and other textile processing products.

In this sub-paragraph “stiffenings and reinforcements” means the yarns or materials added at specified and limited points of the textile product to strengthen it or give it stiffness or thickness.

(2) The base material of textile products which serves as a backing for the use-surface shall not be left out of account in determining the fibre percentage of a product.

(3) In determining the fibre percentages of a product there shall be applied to the anhydrous mass of each fibre the relevant agreed allowance set out in Schedule 3.

8.—(1) Any indication of fibre content shall be clear and legible and in uniform lettering and shall be separate and distinct from all other information except that—

(a) a trade mark or name of an undertaking may immediately precede or follow the indication of fibre content;

(b) where a supply or offer is one to which the requirements contained in paragraph (2) of Regulation 5 apply and a trade mark or name of an undertaking is applied to the product which contains on its own, or as an adjective or as a root one of the names specified in Schedule 2, or a name which is likely to be taken for a name so specified the trade mark or name must be immediately preceded or followed by the indication of fibre content.

(2) In the case of:—

(a) a supply or offer to which the said paragraph (2) applies, or

(b) any advertisement to which paragraph (1) of Regulation 6 applies,

the indication of fibre content shall be given in the English language whether or not it is given in some other language. Bobbins, reels, skeins, balls and any other small quantity of sewing, mending and embroidery yarn may bear an indication of fibre content in any of the languages of the European Economic Community, but if the indication of fibre content is given on packaging containing, or a display bearing, a number of such items, then that latter indication shall be in English.

(3) For the purposes of giving an indication of fibre content abbreviations may be used, but only if the abbreviation is used in a commercial document and consists of a mechanical processing code and then only if an explanation of the code is given in the same document.