All textiles sold here must be accurately labelled to show what they’re made from. It’s an offence under the Fair Trading Act to mislead customers about the fibre content of textiles or the environmental attributes of any product. Companies can be fined up to $200,000 for breaching the Act.
Regulations don’t specify exactly how rayon derived from bamboo should be labelled. But we’d expect international standards to be followed. Canada’s Competition Bureau has recently strengthened its labelling laws: these now require textiles derived from bamboo cellulose to be labelled as “rayon” or “rayon made from bamboo”.
Our view
- Companies that label clothing as “made from bamboo” are misleading their customers. Most “bamboo” textiles are rayon and should be labelled as such.
- Don’t be taken in by claims the fabric is “eco-friendly” or “green”. Unless the manufacturer can provide evidence to support these claims, they’re meaningless.
- You can complain to the Commerce Commission if you think a garment label or an environmental claim is misleading.
Report by Jessica Wilson.
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