China Releases a National Standard GB/T 40270-2021 Textiles — General technical requirements based on consumer experience

SAFEGUARDS | SoftlinesNO.111/21

The Standardization Administration of China issued a national standard GB/T 40270-2021 <Textiles-General technical requirements based on consumer experience> which was included in China’s No. 7 announcement of the approved national standards list in 2021. This new national standard will be effective on December 1st, 2021.

Background

The formulation of current product standards is mainly based on current production processes and overall technical level, with less consideration for the consumer experience. From the perspective of consumer experience, this document constructs an assessment index system based on the subjective perception characteristics of consumers, such as visual, tactile and olfactory, on the basis of basic safety and quality requirements that directly reflect the needs of consumers. The purpose is to guide enterprises to pay close attention to consumer demand and the development of standardized technology when designing and producing products to give consumers a good experience and strive to avoid products that bring an unpleasant experience.

Scope

This document is applicable to end-use textile products used by consumers, such as clothing and household textile products.

Main Technical Contents

The main technical content includes the following 5 requirements: 

1. General safety technical requirements of textile products shall conform to the requirements of GB 18401 or GB  31701 (products for infants and children).
2. Quality requirements of textile products shall conform to the requirements of related claimed product standard.
3. Characteristics of visual perception of textile products include fiber shedding degree, pilling, resistance to pile loop extraction, force to rupture pocket seams, seam slippage of pocket seams, bursting strength of hosiery toe, colorfastness to washing (staining), colorfastness to light yellowing, shedding of glitter and appearance after laundering or dry-cleaning. Each testing item has its corresponding applicable products or specific parts of product.
4. Characteristics of tactile perception of textile products include prickle, water-vapour transmission rate, tactile sense for permanent label (including brand), tactile sense for zipper, tactile sense for touch and close fasteners, length for floats, slip resistance for hosiery. Each testing item has its corresponding applicable products or specific parts of product.
5. Characteristics of olfactory perception of textile products shall be no pungent smell.

Details of the Technical Content

For more information, please refer to the China National Standard GB/T 40270-2021 <Textiles-General technical requirements based on consumer experience>, or contact SGS directly.

China’s GB national standards set requirements for product quality, safety and performance. SGS Global Softlines’ global network, including 10 laboratories in China, offers a wide range of CNAS and CMA accredited services for textiles, apparel, footwear and accessories to help your company demonstrate compliance with Chinese requirements. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Contact us for more information or visit our website. 

For inquiries, please contact:

Louann Spirito
Consumer and Retail — Softlines
US & Canada Softlines Business Head
t: +1 973 461 7919

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