If you are the manufacturer, importer, or retailer (“dealer”) responsible for a product that contains fibres, it is your responsibility to ensure that:
- the item carries a label that meets the requirements of the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations
- all claims about the product (such as its quality, performance, or origin) are factual.
A textile label has two key components: Dealer information and fibre information.
Dealer identity
The label must show your company name and mailing address or your CA Identification Number.
Fibre content
When a fibre represents 5% or more of the total mass of the product’s fibres, the label must show the fibre’s generic name and the amount of fibre as a percentage of the total fibre content.
If the type of fibre is not known or cannot be determined, the label may include the term “unknown fibres” “undetermined fibres,” “miscellaneous fibres,” or “mixed fibres” as long as the percentage of the total mass of these fibres is specified.
Bilingual requirement:
The generic name of the fibre and any information relating to the fibre content must appear on the label in both French and English. For example, this would include fibre-related terms like reclaimed (récupéré) or reprocessed (retraité), or component-related terms, such as sleeves (manches) or skirt (jupe).
The dealer identification and the country of origin (when required) do not have to be bilingual.
Example of fibre-related information:
Body/Corps:
65% cotton/coton
35% polyester
Sleeves/Manches:
50% cotton/coton
50% polyester
Note: The government of Quebec has additional requirements concerning products marketed within that province. This information is available from the Office québecois de la langue française.
Label examples:
65% Cotton/Coton
35% Polyester
CA00000
65% Cotton/Coton
35% Polyester
Company ABC
50 Victoria
Gatineau QC K1A 0C9
Types of Labels
Permanent:
A permanent label is one that can remain attached and legible through 10 cleanings of the product. A permanent label is required on many types of textile items sold to consumers, such as pants, shirts, bed linens, towels, and draperies.
Non-permanent:
A tag, sticker, wrapper, or other non-permanent label may be used for items such as hosiery, gloves, sleepwear, underwear, and table linens.
Note: For custom-made items such as draperies, furniture, or suits, the fibre content and dealer identity may be shown on the invoice, bill of sale, or other document rather than on the item itself, as long as properly labelled samples or swatches are available for the consumer to examine prior to purchase.