The Textile Labelling Act (, short ''TextilKennzG'') is a German

consumer protection Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...

law that requires

mandatory labelling Mandatory labelling or labeling (see spelling differences) is the requirement of consumer products to state their ingredients or components. This is done to protect people with allergies, and so that people can practice moral purchasing. Mandato ...

for clothing and other fabrics. Any textile sold, imported, or produced for sale in Germany is required to have a label indicating the type and proportion by weight of its constituent raw materials. Catalogues and brochures are also required to state the a garment's composition. The first version of the law was decreed on 1 April 1969, and was completely rewritten and the new version was announced on 14 August 1986. The law was last changed by decree on 14 November 2006. Textiles in the context of this law is any good, fabric, part of mattress or camping good, lining of shoes and gloves, floor-covering and many other goods which consist of at least 80% textile raw materials. Textile raw materials are filaments or hairs which can be spun, including bands and flexible tubes not wider than 5mm. For example, if a

T-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt, or tee for short) is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a '' crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shir ...

consists of 80%

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

and 20%

elastane Spandex, Lycra, or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is a polyether- polyurea copolymer that was invented in 1958 by chemist Joseph Shivers at DuPont. Name The name ''spandex'', which is an anagram of th ...

, this has to be declared on the label of the garment. If the shirt consists of 100% cotton, it can be labeled with "100% cotton", "completely made of cotton", or "pure cotton". Special regulations exist for things made of

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

and

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

. Annex one of the law regulates the denomination of the various filaments. In annex three, there is a list of things that do not need a label indicating their composition, such as wristbands for watches, labels, artificial flowers, etc. Annex four lists products that don't need a label but just an indication of their composition at the site of sale. This applies in particular to things traditionally sold per meter like ribbons or elastic tape. Violators can fined up to 5,000

Euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

s. It is not obligatory to declare the country of production on labels. This declaration is optional. Care instructions are printed on labels for liability- and compensation-prevention and are also optional.

External links

Textilkennzeichnungsgesetz full text
{{in lang, de German business law Textile industry of Germany