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FTC Schedules Roundtable on Proposed Care Labeling Rule Changes

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will host a March 28 public roundtable in Washington, D.C., to explore proposed changes to its Care Labeling Rule. This event had previously been slated for last October but had to be cancelled due to the government shutdown.

The roundtable will focus on the proposed amendment permitting a wetcleaning instruction, and comments urging the FTC to require a wetcleaning instruction.

Discussion also will address: (1) the cost of substantiating wetcleaning instructions; (2) the availability of wetcleaning services; (3) consumer awareness of wet cleaning; and (4) the content of labels providing a wetcleaning instruction (e.g., instructing “professionally wetclean” versus “wetclean”).

The gathering also will explore issues relating to the use of care symbols and the FTC’s proposal to clarify the Rule’s reasonable basis requirements.

This discussion will address: (1) the differences between ASTM and ISO symbols and between the 2005 and 2012 ISO symbols; (2) whether to require that labels identify ISO symbols if used to comply with the Rule; (3) the change in the meaning of the circle P symbol in the ASTM system; (4) the absence of ASTM and ISO symbols for solvents other than perc and petroleum; (5) consumer understanding of symbols; and (6) how to clarify the Rule’s reasonable basis requirements.

The FTC’s satellite building conference center, 601 New Jersey Ave., N.W., Washington, will be the meeting site.

Care label

(Photo: © iStockphoto.com/imagestock)

Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].