#Associations

2023-12-14

US flammability code references current AATCC laundering procedure

In October 2023, the United Stated Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) completed the rulemaking procedure to revise the Standard for the Flammability of Clothing Textiles in 16 CFR part 1610. The new regulations will go into effect six months later, on April 22, 2024. For more than a year, commissioners have considered data and public comment on several clarifications and updates, including reference to AATCC LP 1 Laboratory Procedure for Home Laundering: Machine Washing.

AATCC LP1-2021 is already familiar to many testing laboratories since it is used for other standards as well; as such, using this standard should be clear and low cost.”

—US CPSC

The revisions address three main areas. First, they aim to clarify and streamline the provisions regarding test result codes (i.e., burn codes), which help determine the classification of a textile and whether it may be used for clothing. The amendments remove an unnecessary code and revise wording in the provisions to clarify the existing requirements. Second, the amendments revise the stop thread specification, which indicates the thread that must be used in flammability testing. The description has become unclear, as threads matching the description in the Standard are no longer readily available. Third, amendments revise the refurbishing requirements in the Standard, which address dry cleaning and laundering specimens during the testing process. In recent years, there have been increasing restrictions on the use of the drycleaning solvent specified in the Standard, and washing machines that meet the specifications required in the Standard are no longer made.

The new refurbishing specifications reference AATCC LP1-2021. The CPSC says, “Staff expects that this will reduce burdens on testing laboratories because it will eliminate the need to maintain and repair older machines and allow those testing laboratories that can no longer maintain or obtain washing machines that comply with the current Standard to continue to test to the Standard.” Existing machines meeting the older specifications in AATCC TM124-2006 may still be used.

“Use of a single standard that is widely familiar to industry members should reduce the risk of confusion or testing errors, which may have some safety benefits for consumers by yielding consistent and reliable test results and classifications.”

—US CPSC

AATCC LP1 is available in the current AATCC Manual of International Test Methods and Procedures and as a downloadable PDF. Because it is incorporated in a federal regulation, the document is available at no cost. Specified detergent for flammability testing is also available directly from AATCC. The CPSC announcement explains that the reference to AATCC LP1 will reduce confusion and cost as well as testing errors.

Download AATCC LP1-2021

https://members.aatcc.org/store/lp001/2212/

Order AATCC LP1 Detergent

https://members.aatcc.org/store/wb-7-3kg/3230/

Find Washers & Dryers

https://www.aatcc.org/laundering/

AATCC announces 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition winners

The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) recognized the winners of the 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition. Founded in 1982 to give student members the chance to conduct and present original research, the competition was renamed in 1994 in honor of Herman and Myrtle Goldstein, following their US$60,000 endowment. Their gift is a lasting remembrance of their dedication to young people in the textile industry.

New funding available for textile research

The AATCC Foundation Student Research Support Grant Program provides financial assistance for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing textile-related projects. Students may submit proposals now for funding to be awarded January 2026. Applications must be submitted by October 1, 2025, to be considered.

Sustainability: European industry calls on EU to keep Single-Use Plastics Directive unchanged

A broad coalition of European industry associations, including EDANA, Euratex and Plastics Europe, has urged EU institutions to maintain the current legal framework of the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD). In a joint statement, the organisations argue that reopening the Directive at this stage would create legal uncertainty, increase regulatory complexity and undermine investment, while its implementation across the European Union is still incomplete.

Textile machinery: Italian technology charts the course for revival

Operating in a scenario characterized by geopolitical instability, slowing industrial investments, and new protectionist pressures. This is the main challenge for the Italian textile machinery industry that emerged during the General Assembly of ACIMIT (Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers), held today in Milan at the Shareholders’ Hall of Palazzo Edison.

New skills for a circular textile economy

Based on the results of a comprehensive analysis, the Erasmus+ project Skills4Circularity is developing three practical training modules covering recycling technologies, eco-design for the circular economy and sustainable manufacturing. The content of the first module, Recycling Technologies, has now been developed and validated together with industry representatives. The module provides participants with knowledge of regulatory requirements, material sorting and the preparation of textile waste for recycling.

Bangladesh: Italian textile machinery mission stops in Dhaka and Chittagong

Technological upgrading and the transition toward higher value-added production are driving the new Italian industrial mission to Bangladesh. This year, the mission will split between the country’s two main manufacturing hubs, where Italian manufacturers will meet the leaders of the local textile supply chain in two strategic stages: July 7th in Dhaka and July 9th in Chittagong.

Ence and ShareTex begin initial testing of the ATENEA innovation project to promote textile recycling in Spain

Ence and ShareTex are making progress on the Atenea R&D project, which aims to develop a complete value chain for textile recycling in Spain. Specifically, the goal of the ATENEA project—which is funded by the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI)—is to connect all the necessary stages for the recovery of textile waste, from collection and management, through recycling and transformation into new raw materials, to their incorporation into new textile products.

DePoly Inaugurates its Showcase Plant in Monthey Switzerland

What if used plastic bottles, PET packaging material and polyester textiles could become raw materials just as high performing as virgin resources? That is the ambition of DePoly, a circular materials company based in Sion, Switzerland which inaugurated its Showcase Plant in Monthey on July 6th & 7th. The first depolymerization facility of its kind and scale in Switzerland, this industrial Showcase Plant represents a major milestone in the company's growth and its journey toward commercialization.

Commission clarifies rules on plastic bottles recycling

The European Commission today adopted new rules on recycling of single-use plastic beverage bottles made primarily of polyethylene terephthalate (PET bottles). These rules establish, for the first time, a methodology to calculate, verify and report chemically recycled content. This is part of the Commission’s December 2025 plastics package.