Solution

Quality assurance services for softlines encompass a full-range of quality and safety compliance testing, inspection and consulting services to protect your brand by evaluating your softlines products. A comprehensive program can provide you with:

• Product evaluation at development and pre-production stages
• Testing to national and international standards
• Assessments for regulatory and safety compliance
• Product evaluation for appearance, quality and performance
• Technical support network to answer questions, interpret results, and help manage your quality assurance program
• Defect analysis of customer complaint items or manufacturing defects
• Comparative analysis of own brand products to the competition

• Design evaluations regarding particular design concerns or applicable regulatory and safety requirements

What are the key benefits
• Meet regulatory requirements for each distribution country
• Minimize the risk of substandard merchandise and costly customer returns
• Enhance risk management and brand protection

OUR APPROACH

At Bureau Veritas, we provide full quality assurance services on an ongoing basis to help protect your reputation and brand. We can work with you to identify quality concerns prior to distribution, monitor your private label brands throughout their life cycles, and assess all your products, including textiles, apparel and home furnishings for regulatory compliance. Our services incorporate extensive testing capabilities including:

• Technical outerwear testing including moisture vapor transmission, air permeability analysis, waterproof performance and thermal insulation properties
• Down and feather analysis including composition, oxygen content, turbidity and fill power
• Flammability testing for general wearing apparel, children’s sleepwear and home furnishings (rugs, carpets, blankets, mattress pads)
• Toxicology testing for formaldehyde, lead content, EN-71, AZO dyes and nickel free
• Care label verification and development to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the Federal Trade Commission
• Colorfastness testing for washing, crocking, lightfastness, perspiration, water, saliva, etc.
• Detailed fabric and garment construction analysis including fabric weight, thread count, and yarn size
• Yarn analysis including type of spinning process
• Fiber composition and identification on specialty fibers such as wool and cashmere, along with all fiber blends
• Mechanical safety review on children’s clothing to verify the product meets the Consumer Product Safety Commission regulations for small parts, sharp edges, drawcords, etc.
• Hosiery evaluations on socks and pantyhose including detailed fit analysis
• Physical testing including tensile strength, tear strength, abrasion, pilling, etc.
• Trim testing for buttons, zippers, snaps, elastics, metal hardware, etc.

Why Choose Bureau Veritas?

Reputation
We work successfully with top brands, manufacturers and retailers around the world to help them better manage risk and regulatory compliance.

Worldwide Locations
With locations close to sourcing areas in over 40 countries, we offer you the convenience of global coverage with local service where you need it.

Technical Knowledge & Leadership
With over 40 years of experience in the softlines industry, we have the necessary knowledge to develop comprehensive quality assurance programs for brands, manufacturers and retailers.

Personalized Service
From single submissions to multiple product comparison programs, we can function as an extension of your quality assurance department to help minimize the risk of substandard merchandise and costly customer returns.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

How does your staff keep up-to-date with the latest developments in the industry?
Our softlines professionals participate in key associations to keep in the forefront of standards development, industry technology and trends. We hold professional affiliations with:
- American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC)
- American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
- American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
- British Standards Institute (BSI)
- Committee on Textile Test Methods and Terminology of the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB)
- European Committee for Standardization (CEN)
- Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (HOKLAS)
- International Organization for Standardization Technical Committees (ISO)
- National Association of Hosiery Manufacturers (NAHM)
- Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA)

To what standards do you provide testing?
We conduct tests according to the standards and regulations of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and other international standards such as those of Australia, Britain, Canada, and Japan.