Japan adopts the GINETEX textile care labelling symbols

KAKEN, a government-accredited organization that specializes in textile laboratory tests, willrepresent GINETEX in Japan – adding onto GINETEX’s national members that now amount to 22 in the world. With a strong presence in all of Europe, North Africa and Brazil, GINETEX now welcomes KAKEN as its national member in Japan, in order to promote and support the use of textile care symbols in the land of the rising sun. Today, the Japanese market represents over 300 clothing brands.

The signature of this partnership with KAKEN in Japan is a historic moment for GINETEX, which will be represented for the first time in Asia.

“I am delighted to welcome KAKEN, as a representative of GINETEX in Japan and also very proud to assign this organization with the missions that are so dear to us. We are honored to cooperate with KAKEN and look forward to their impact on the promotion of care symbols within the textile and clothing industries in Japan. Once again, the integration of KAKEN translates our common will and desire to standardize all textile care symbols around the world. Today, with the precious support of our 22 national members, we will continue our work on the promotion and use of these symbols, on an international scale”, said Thomas Rasch, President of GINETEX. 

“I am very pleased to be a member of GINETEX. Kaken will make maximum efforts to increase the recognition of GINETEX in Japan and have Japanese brands understand the right way to use GINETEX care labelling symbols and what the trademark right is.” Mr. Umetaro Nagao, C.E.O. of Kaken said.

Kaken is the most trusted and the biggest textile products inspection organization in Japan. In addition, they are in cooperation with many industries including Japan Textile Evaluation Technology Council (JTETC), a well-known NPO, which has close relations with the government of Japan.

A key player in the Japanese textile market – and in the industrial market at large – this organization inspects and tests textiles (staples, filaments and yarns, woven and knitted fabrics and finished products), leather, rubber, chemicals, paper products and other industrial supplies, with the objective of obtaining certifications. KAKEN is an ISO 9001: 2000 certified textile testing laboratory.

KAKEN will take advantage of its strong influence and long-proven legitimacy in the Japanese textile Ecosystem (including government institutions, national textile industry organizations, textile and clothing manufacturers as well as consumer associations), to broadly communicate on the change and standardization of textile care symbols – now qualified ISO 3758, a certification backed by GINETEX, the guarantor of textile care labeling codes.

GINETEX relationship with the International Standard Organisation (ISO) 
In the early I970s, GINETEX started to cooperate with the lnternational Standards Organisation (lSO) to help ensure the care symbols had a global reach. In 1987, an agreement between the two organisations was reached and GINETEX allowed ISO to use its care labelling system. This led to the publication of the first ISO Care Labelling Standard in 1991, “Textiles – Care labelling code using symbols”. For more than 20 years now, the IS0 3758 standard “Textiles Care labelling code using symbols”, has been informing textile and apparel manufacturers, suppliers and retailers all over the world about care labelling symbols and the tests they should perform on materials and clothing to avoid causing irreversible damage during washing, drying, professional care.

About GINETEX:
GINETEX, the International Association for Textile Care Labelling, was first founded in Paris in 1963 following several international Symposiums for Textile Care Labelling at the end of the 1950’s. GINETEX has devised an internationally applicable care labelling system for textiles based on symbols. The pictograms used are registered trademarks and are the GINETEX property. The care labelling system gives consumers and textile companies the correct information on the care treatment of textile products. The processes indicated by the symbols will avoid any irreversible damage to the product. GINETEX is composed by 22 national organisation members. These organisations represent all interested parties concerned with textile care and labelling.