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[Billing Code: 6750-01-S]

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

16 CFR Part 423

PUBLIC ROUNDTABLE ANALYZING PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE TRADE 

REGULATION RULE ON CARE LABELING OF TEXTILE WEARING APPAREL 

AND CERTAIN PIECE GOODS AS AMENDED

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission.

ACTION: Notice announcing public roundtable and request for public comment.

SUMMARY: The Federal Trade Commission (‘‘FTC’’ or ‘‘Commission’’) is holding a public 

roundtable relating to its September 20, 2012 proposed changes to the Care Labeling Rule. The 

roundtable will explore issues relating to professional wetcleaning, care symbols, the Rule’s 

reasonable basis requirements, and other issues raised in comments received in response to the 

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”). The roundtable originally scheduled on October 1, 

2013 was cancelled due to the government shutdown. 

DATES: The public roundtable will be held on March 28, 2014, from 9:15 a.m. until 3:45 p.m.,

at the FTC’s Satellite Building Conference Center, located at 601 New Jersey Avenue, NW, 

Washington, DC. Requests to participate as a panelist must be received by February 28, 2014. 

Any written comments related to the agenda topics, the issues discussed by the panelists at the 

roundtable, or the issues raised in comments received in response to the NPRM must be received 

by April 11, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file a comment or a request to participate as a panelist 

electronically or on paper by following the instructions in the Filing Comments and Requests to 

Participate as a Panelist part of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below. 
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Write “Care Labeling Rule, 16 CFR Part 423, Comment, Project No. R511915” on your 

comment and “Care Labeling Rule, 16 CFR Part 423, Request to Participate, Project No. 

R511915” on your request to participate as a panelist. File your comment online at 

https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/carelabelingruleroundtable by following the instructions 

on the web-based form. File your request to participate as a panelist by e-mail to: 

carelabelingroundtable@ftc.gov. If you prefer to file your comment or request on paper, mail or 

deliver it to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, Room H113 (Annex M), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert M. Frisby, Attorney, 202-326-2098, 

or Amanda B. Kostner, Attorney, 202-326-2880, Federal Trade Commission, Division of 

Enforcement, Bureau of Consumer Protection, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 

20580.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. INTRODUCTION

The Rule prohibits manufacturers and importers from selling textile wearing apparel and 

certain piece goods without attaching labels stating the care needed for their ordinary use.

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Manufacturers and importers must possess, prior to sale, a reasonable basis for these care 

instructions2 and can use approved care symbols to disclose those instructions.3

 

 1 16 CFR 423.5 and 423.6(a) and (b).

 2 16 CFR 423.6(c).

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 The Rule provides that the symbol system developed by ASTM International, formerly the 

American Society for Testing and Materials, and designated as ASTM Standard D5489-96c 

“Guide to Care Symbols for Care Instructions on Consumer Textile Products” may be used on 
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As part of its ongoing regulatory review program, the Commission published an Advance 

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“ANPR”) in July 2011 seeking comment on: the economic 

impact of, and the continuing need for, the Rule; the benefits of the Rule to consumers; and the 

burdens the Rule places on businesses.4

 The ANPR also sought comment on whether and how 

the Rule should address professional wetcleaning and updated industry standards regarding the 

use of care symbols. The Commission received 120 comments in response.5

After reviewing these comments, the Commission published a Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking (“NPRM”) proposing four amendments.

6 The Commission proposed to: (1) permit 

manufacturers and importers to provide a care instruction for professional wetcleaning on labels 

if the garment can be professionally wetcleaned; (2) permit manufacturers and importers to use 

the symbol system set forth in either ASTM Standard D5489-07, “Standard Guide for Care 

Symbols for Care Instructions on Textile Products,” or ISO 3758:2005(E), “Textiles---Care 

labelling code using symbols”; (3) clarify what constitutes a reasonable basis for care 

instructions; and (4) update the definition of “dryclean” to reflect current practices and 

technology. The Commission received 87 comments in response,7 including one requesting an 

 

care labels or care instructions in lieu of terms so long as the symbols fulfill the requirements of 

Part 423. 16 CFR 423.8(g).

 4 76 FR 41148 (July 13, 2011).

 5 The comments are posted at http://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-comments/initiative-384.

 6 77 FR 58338 (September 20, 2012).

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 The comments are posted at http://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-comments/initiative-451. The 

Commission has assigned each comment a number appearing after the name of the commenter 

and the date of submission. This notice cites comments using the last name of the individual 

submitter or the name of the organization, followed by the number assigned by the Commission.
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opportunity to present views orally at a workshop or hearing8 and several urging the Commission 

to hold a hearing or workshop9 or requesting more time to file comments on the proposed 

amendments.10 Most of the comments favoring a workshop or hearing or more time to comment 

also urged the Commission to amend the Rule to require a wetcleaning instruction rather than 

merely permit one. Accordingly, the Commission will conduct a roundtable11 to provide 

interested parties with an opportunity to present their views orally pursuant to the procedures set 

forth in the NPRM.

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The Commission originally scheduled this roundtable on October 1, 2013;13 however, it 

was cancelled due to the government shutdown. Persons selected to participate as panelists in 

the cancelled roundtable should submit a new request if they wish to participate in the March 28 

roundtable. Similarly, the Commission requests that persons who preregistered for the cancelled 

roundtable register for the March 28 roundtable if they plan to attend. You can find more 

information about the roundtable at http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/eventscalendar/2014/03/care-labeling-rule-ftc-roundtable.

 

 8 Sinsheimer, UCLA Sustainable Technology & Policy Program (87).

 9 Huie (80); Miele (72 and 76); Professional Wet Cleaners Association (59); Sung (74); and 

Toxic Use Reduction Institute (54).

 10 European Union (67); Huie (80); and Professional Wet Cleaners Association (59).

 11 The NPRM noted the possibility of holding a workshop; however, the Commission has 

decided to describe this event as a roundtable to encourage discussion.

 12 77 FR at 58338-339.

 13 78 FR 45901 (July 30, 2013).
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II. ISSUES FOR DISCUSSION AT THE ROUNDTABLE

The roundtable will focus on the proposed amendment permitting a wetcleaning 

instruction and comments urging the Commission to require a wetcleaning instruction. The 

wetcleaning discussion also will address: (1) the cost of substantiating wetcleaning instructions;

(2) the availability of wetcleaning services; (3) consumer awareness of wetcleaning; and (4) the 

content of labels providing a wetcleaning instruction (e.g., instructing “professionally wetclean” 

versus “wetclean”).

The roundtable also will explore issues relating to the use of care symbols and the 

Commission’s proposal to clarify the Rule’s reasonable basis requirements. These discussions

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 perchloroethylene (“perc”) and 

petroleum; (5) consumer understanding of symbols; and (6) how to clarify the Rule’s reasonable 

basis requirements.

14 In addition, the roundtable will provide participants with an opportunity to 

discuss other issues raised by comments. A more detailed agenda will be published at a later 

date, in advance of the scheduled roundtable. In the interim, the Commission is particularly 

interested in receiving relevant consumer perception evidence.

 

 14 See, e.g., GreenEarth Cleaning (41).
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III. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION INFORMATION

A. Registration Information 

The roundtable is open to the public, and there is no fee for attendance. For admittance to 

the Conference Center, all attendees must show valid government-issued photo identification,

such as a driver’s license. Pre-registration is not necessary to attend, but is encouraged so that 

staff may better plan this event. To pre-register, please e-mail your name and affiliation to 

carelabelingroundtable@ftc.gov. When you pre-register, the FTC collects your name, affiliation, 

and e-mail address. We will use this information to estimate how many people will attend and 

better understand the likely audience for the roundtable, and will dispose of it following the 

roundtable. We may use your e-mail address to contact you with information about the 

roundtable. The FTC Act and other laws the Commission administers permit the collection of 

this contact information to consider and use for the above purposes. Under the Freedom of 

Information Act or other laws, we may be required to disclose the information you provide to 

outside organizations. For additional information, including routine uses permitted by the 

Privacy Act, see the Commission’s privacy policy at http://www.ftc.gov/siteinformation/privacy-policy.

B. Requests to Participate as a Panelist 

The roundtable will consist of roundtable discussions by panelists selected by the FTC 

staff. Other attendees will have an opportunity to comment and ask questions. The Commission 

will place a transcript of the proceeding on the public record. Requests to participate as a 

panelist must be received on or before February 28, 2014, as explained in Section IV below. 

Persons selected as panelists will be notified on or before March 14, 2014.
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C. Electronic and Paper Comments 

The submission of comments is not required for participation in the roundtable. If a 

person wishes to submit paper or electronic comments about the topics to be discussed at the 

roundtable or issues raised in the comments filed in response to the NPRM, such comments 

should be filed as prescribed in Section IV, and must be received on or before April 11, 2014. 

IV. FILING COMMENTS AND REQUESTS TO PARTICIPATE AS A PANELIST

You can file a comment or request to participate in the roundtable as a panelist online or 

on paper. For the Commission to consider your comment, we must receive it on or before April 

11, 2014. Write “Care Labeling Rule, 16 CFR Part 423, Comment, Project No. R511915” on 

your comment and “Care Labeling Rule, 16 CFR Part 423, Request to Participate, Project No. 

R511915” on your request to participate. Your comment --- including your name and your state

--- will be placed on the public record of this proceeding, including, to the extent practicable, on 

the public Commission Website, at http://www.ftc.gov/os/publiccomments.shtm. As a matter of 

discretion, the Commission tries to remove individuals’ home contact information from 

comments before placing them on the Commission Website. 

Because your comment will be made public, you are solely responsible for making sure 

that your comment does not include any sensitive personal information, such as anyone’s Social 

Security number, date of birth, driver’s license number or other state identification number or 

foreign country equivalent, passport number, financial account number, or credit or debit card 

number. You are also solely responsible for making sure that your comment does not include 

any sensitive health information, such as medical records or other individually identifiable health 

information. In addition, do not include any “[t]rade secret or any commercial or financial 
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information which is . . . is privileged or confidential,” as discussed in Section 6(f) of the FTC 

Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and FTC Rule 4.10(a)(2), 16 CFR 4.10(a)(2). In particular, do not include 

competitively sensitive information such as costs, sales statistics, inventories, formulas, patterns, 

devices, manufacturing processes, or customer names. 

If you want the Commission to give your comment confidential treatment, you must file it 

in paper form, with a request for confidential treatment, and you have to follow the procedure 

explained in FTC Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c).15 Your comment will be kept confidential only if 

the FTC General Counsel, in his or her sole discretion, grants your request in accordance with the 

law and the public interest.

Postal mail addressed to the Commission is subject to delay due to heightened security 

screening. As a result, we encourage you to submit your comments online. To make sure that 

the Commission considers your online comment, you must file it at 

https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/carelabelingruleroundtable, by following the instruction 

on the web-based form. If this Notice appears at http://www.regulations.gov/#!home, you also 

may file a comment through that website.

Requests to participate as a panelist at the roundtable should be submitted electronically 

to carelabelingroundtable@ftc.gov, or, if mailed, should be submitted in the manner detailed 

below. Parties are asked to include in their requests a brief statement setting forth their expertise 

in or knowledge of the issues on which the roundtable will focus as well as their contact 

 

 15 In particular, the written request for confidential treatment that accompanies the comment 

must include the factual and legal basis for the request, and must identify the specific portions of 

the comment to be withheld from the public record. See FTC Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c).
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information, including a phone number, facsimile number, and e-mail address (if available), to 

enable the FTC to notify them if they are selected.

If you file your comment or request on paper, write “Care Labeling Rule, 16 CFR Part 

423, Comment, Project No. R511915” on your comment and on the envelope and “Care Labeling 

Rule, 16 CFR Part 423, Request to Participate, Project No. R511915,” on your request and on the 

envelope, and mail or deliver it to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office of 

the Secretary, Room H-113 (Annex M), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 

20580. If possible, submit your paper comment or request to the Commission by courier or 

overnight service.

Visit the Commission Website at http://www.ftc.gov to read this Notice and the news 

release describing it. The FTC Act and other laws that the Commission administers permit the 

collection of public comments to consider and use in this proceeding as appropriate. The 

Commission will consider all timely and responsive public comments that it receives on or 

before April 11, 2014. The Commission will consider all timely requests to participate as a 

panelist in the roundtable that it receives by February 28, 2014. You can find more information, 

including routine uses permitted by the Privacy Act, in the Commission’s privacy policy, at 

http://www.ftc.gov/site-information/privacy-policy. The Commission invites members of the 

public to comment on any issues or concerns they believe are relevant or appropriate to the 

Commission’s consideration of proposed amendments to the Care Labeling Rule or the 

roundtable agenda. The Commission requests that comments provide factual data, such as 

consumer perception evidence, upon which the commenters’ proposals or views are based. 
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V. COMMUNICATIONS TO COMMISSIONERS AND COMMISSIONER 

ADVISORS BY OUTSIDE PARTIES

Pursuant to Commission Rule 1.18(c)(1), the Commission has determined that 

communications with respect to the merits of this proceeding from any outside party to any 

Commissioner or Commissioner advisor shall be subject to the following treatment. Written

communications and summaries or transcripts of oral communications shall be placed on the 

rulemaking record if the communication is received before the end of the staff report comment 

period. They shall be placed on the public record if the communication is received later. Unless 

the outside party making an oral communication is a member of Congress, such communications 

are permitted only if advance notice is published in the Weekly Calendar and Notice of 

“Sunshine” Meetings.16

By direction of the Commission.

Donald S. Clark

Secretary.

 

 16 See 15 U.S.C. 57a(i)(2)(A); 16 CFR 1.18(c).