SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, has joined forces with FibreTrace®, a digital and physical traceability provider in traceable fibre technology, to develop a new Fiber Integrity Protocol for the textile industry.

The partnership will support brands worldwide to boost industry and consumer confidence in product claims through the integration of robustly audited pathways with the cloud-based traceability technologies, FibreTrace® Mapped and FibreTrace® Verified.

SGS has now begun work on developing the protocol which will combine testing verification, chain of custody checking and product markers across a range of materials. To further enhance the implementation of verification and compliance across the full value chain, SGS is supporting FibreTrace® to:
- Support suppliers to demonstrate compliance and accurate reporting within the FibreTrace® digital platform
- Review the compliance and traceability of fibers and materials prior to the application of FibreTrace® physical technology (for example at recycled polyester collection points)
- Help brands and retailers to carry out on-site scanning and to verify fibers with the use of FibreTrace® physical and digital technology

Yvonne Tse, Vice President, Global Softlines at SGS said: “This welcome collaboration with FibreTrace® marks another significant step forward to support the global textile industry towards full supply chain traceability. By embracing new technologies, we are better placed to ease the pathway towards traceability for producers, manufacturers, brands and retailers worldwide.”

The new Fiber Integrity Protocol will service major manufacturing regions including Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Pakistan, South Korea, Turkey, United States and Vietnam.

Shannon Mercer, Chief Executive Officer for FibreTrace® commented: “The partnership with SGS allows the accelerated and robust implementation of FibreTrace® across vast supply chains, with multi-fiber applications, multiple languages and multiple countries of origin and production.”

SGS is widely recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Providing a single consolidated source for testing, certification and verification services, consulting solutions and technical assistance, SGS helps the textile industry to reduce risk while improving efficiency and quality.

For further information, please contact:

Lily Pang
Business Manager
SGS Connectivity & Products
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About SGS
We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for sustainability, quality and integrity. Our 98,000 employees operate a network of 2,650 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

About FibreTrace^®
FibreTrace®’s mission is to ensure every member of the textile supply chain can take direct accountability to reduce the environmental impact of the global industry. FibreTrace offers reliable and trusted data that allows both brands and consumers to understand the true social and environmental impact of their products as it moves throughout the global supply chain.

SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, has published a SafeGuardS to help stakeholders stay up to date with the latest news relating to consumer products and California Proposition 65 (Prop 65).

Prop 65, or the ‘Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986’, is a unique piece of legislation that requires the state to maintain a list of chemicals, the Prop 65 List, known to cause cancer, birth defects and/or reproductive harm. There are now over 900 chemicals on the list.

Unless exempted, businesses operating in California must provide ‘a clear and reasonable warning’ (Prop 65 Warning) before knowingly and intentionally exposing anyone to a substance on the Prop 65 List. Once a chemical is listed, companies have twelve months to comply with this requirement.

SGS has published SafeGuardS 087.23 to provide stakeholders with details of multiple settlements for a wide variety of consumer goods. These settlements cover products containing:
- Chromium V
- Lead
- N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA)
- Proscribed phthalates

Products covered by the settlement agreements include everything from leather wallets, brass hose nozzles and planters to latex swimming caps, oils and umbrellas.

Stakeholders are advised to review SGS’s original SafeGuardS 087.23 to learn more about the products involved and the settlement agreements that have been reached.

Settlement agreements are only legally binding on named parties, but they do provide an indication of how manufacturers and suppliers should progress when operating in California.

SGS Prop 65 Services
With a global network of laboratories, SGS can offer comprehensive testing, product assessment and consultancy services related to California Proposition 65. SGS can assist your risk management strategy in consumer goods, such as DIYs, electrical and electronics, hardgoods products, juvenile products, and textile & toy products. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Learn more about SGS’s Prop 65 Services.

SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full California Proposition 65 Reformulation of Chemicals in Consumer Products SafeGuardS.

Subscribe here to receive SGS SafeGuardS direct to your inbox.

For further information contact:

Dr. HingWo Tsang
Global Information and Innovation Manager
Tel: (+852) 2774 7420

Ms. Melanie Schubert
Senior Technical Manager
Tel: +1 312 414 9394

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.sgs.com/cp
LinkedIn: sgs-consumer-goods-&-retail

About SGS
We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 96,000 employees operate a network of 2,700 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, has been accredited by the International Organic Accreditation Service (IOAS) to extend its Textile Exchange product certification services to India.

The scope of the certification scheme, which SGS has delivered across Spain since 2021, includes Content Claim Standard (CCS) and Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) for textile, leather, plastic, paper and metal product categories.

The scope also includes the Organic Content Standard (OCS); Responsible Down Standard (RDS) andRAF (covering Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) and Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS)).

SGS will provide the full spectrum of Textile Exchange certification services to manufacturers, traders, recyclers and brands through its teams strategically located in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Mumbai and Tirupur. 

Shailesh Sharma, Director, Connectivity & Products, Softlines at SGS said: “We are delighted to have gained IOAS approval to expand our global textile and footwear certification services to give us maximum local presence across India. We are now even better placed to provide organizations across the region with the tools and expertise to achieve their sustainable sourcing goals and demonstrate the accurate recycled and organic content of their products."

Textile Exchange is a global non-profit organization that works closely with all sectors of the textile supply chain. It identifies and shares best practices regarding farming, materials, processing, traceability, and product end-of-life to create positive impacts on water, soil, air, animals and the human population created around the world by the textile industry.

IOAS is a non-profit organization dedicated to the integrity of ecolabel claims in the field of organic and sustainable agriculture, environmental management, social justice and fair trade. IOAS works internationally to assess the competence of organizations providing certification to ‘sustainability’ standards.

To find out more about SGS services for textiles and clothing, footwear, bags and accessories, jewelry, and linens and towels, visit www.sgs.com/softlines

For further information, please contact:

SGS Softlines
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About SGS 
We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for sustainability, quality and integrity. Our 98,000 employees operate a network of 2,650 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, has published a SafeGuardS covering a proposal by the European Union (EU) to regulate undecafluorohexanoic acid (aka perfluorohexanoic acid, PFHxA), its salts and PFHxA-related substances under Annex XVII of REACH.

When/if adopted, the restriction will affect a wide variety of consumer goods, including:

- Food contact paper and cardboard
- Footwear
- Mixtures
- Textiles, leather, furs and hides in clothing and related accessories
- Textiles, leather, furs and hides other than in clothing and related accessories for the general public
- Cosmetics
- Fire-fighting foams for:
1. Municipal fire services
2. Training and testing (except functional testing of the fighting systems)
3. Civil aviation

SGS has published SafeGuardS 086.23 to help stakeholders understand the implications of the proposals for their business (if adopted). It includes a definition for PFHxA, its salts and PFHxA-related substances and a table detailing the requirements in the draft regulation and proposed effective dates.

Stakeholders are advised to review SGS’s original SafeGuardS 086.23 to learn more.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) circulated the draft document in June 2023. It proposes an adoption date of Q4 in 2023.

SGS REACH Services
SGS keeps interested parties informed about developments and changes to the REACH regulations. In addition, they offer comprehensive solutions to help business ensure their products remain in compliance with the latest requirements governing the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals in the EU. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Learn more about SGS’s REACH Services.

SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full EU Intends to Regulate PFHxA and PFHxA-related Substances Under REACH SafeGuardS.

Subscribe here to receive SGS SafeGuardS direct to your inbox.

For further information contact:

Dr. HingWo Tsang
Global Information and Innovation Manager
Tel: (+852) 2774 7420
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.sgs.com/cgnr
LinkedIn: SGS Connectivity & Products

About SGS
We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for sustainability, quality and integrity. Our 97,000 employees operate a network of 2,650 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.