Functional Clothing from H&M and others is Inspected

According to the news posted on the website of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Market Supervision on July 20, 2022,  the Bureau mobilized necessary resources to conduct an enforcement inspection of 50 batches of functional clothing with 50 brands sold on the network platform, including PUMA official website, MUJI official website, UNDER ARMOUR official website, speedo official website, Suning Tesco, I Bailian, Oriental Shopping, Jingdong, Tmall and other 21 enterprises in the Huangpu District, Xuhui District, and Jing’an District, which aims to figure out the products complained by the consumers due to the poor quality. After testing, 8 batches of them are judged to be unqualified. That is to say, the non-qualified rate reaches 16.0%.

The Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Market Supervision tests 12 properties of products, including fiber content, formaldehyde content, pH value, decomposable carcinogenic aromatic amine dyes, color fastness, the degree of splicing and mutual dyeing, UV protection performance, moisture absorption, quick-drying, moisture absorption and quick-drying, perspiration and cool feeling in contact instant. They mainly fail to reach the standards of functional indicators, involving UV protection, moisture absorption and perspiration, quick-drying, and moisture absorption with approved safety indexes.

Three kinds of unqualified products are inspected by the Bureau.

1 Three batches of products do not meet the performance requirements for UV protection.
For instance, the official website clearly states that the light coat of the Jeep Spirit brand with the model and specification of 190/104A and model number of YSF0162, whose nominal manufacturer or supplier is Hongfang brand management (Shanghai) Co., Ltd, provides outdoor sun protection with a UPF40+ level. However, while testing, testers discovered that the UV protection performance’s UPF rating is 17.10 which is much lower than the prescribed value of over 40. Worst, testing shows that the protection performance’s T(UVA)AV value is 11.75 percent, significantly higher than the required value which should be less than 5 percent. As a result, it is clear that this particular brand of merchandise is not suitable for sale. And in the test, the UV protective factor UPF and UVA transmission are used to measure the UV protection performance, which refers to the capacity to absorb or block the UV radiation from the environment. Products cannot shield wearers from UV rays if they fall short of the required criteria.

2 Three batches of products are deemed unqualified for use in moisture absorption and perspiration.
According to the check result, their one-way transfer indexes under test are found to substantially get in the way of the national standard requirements. The sportswear of the Decathlon brand is claimed to be manufactured or supplied by the Di Mai Enterprise Management Co., Ltd in Shanghai and sold in the office branch of Decathlon (Shanghai) Sporting Goods Co., Ltd in the Zhabei District. In the store, the products with models and specifications of 180/108B and production date or batch number of 302544 are marked with perspiration and dehumidification function in the publicity. However, the one-way transfer indexes of moisture absorption and perspiration measured before and after washing are both level 1, which fail to comply with the national standard of at least level 3. If products do not reach the specified standard, they can not absorb the moisture and sweat in an effective way.

3 One batch of products is unqualified in moisture absorption and another batch of products is sub-standard in moisture absorption and quick-drying.
For example, the short-sleeved T-shirt of Kolon Sport with the model and specification of 175/96A and production date or the batch number of LHRT0MT681-BU is manufactured or supplied nominally by the Kolon Sport (China) Co., Ltd and sold on the Tmall by Shanghai Qunlong Clothing Co., Ltd. On the website, the businessmen have clearly shown that this product is characterized by moisture absorption and quick-drying performance. However, the time of both drip diffusion and height of core suction fails to reach the standard requirements. The time of drip diffusion tested before and after washing turned out to be 75.2s and 31.8s while the standard value should be less than 3s. Moreover, before washing, the height of the core suction tested turned out to be 92mm while the standard value is specified as more than 100mm. As a result, this product is classified as an unqualified one due to its inadequate moisture absorption. Men’s short-sleeved T-shirt of Polo Sport brand with model and specification of 180/100A*2、175/96A*2、165/88A, the code number of A15722151 and production date or batch number of LHRT0MT681-BU has been labeled with sweat absorption and quick-drying function on the website, which is manufactured or supplied nominally by the Shanghai Ruixi Clothing Co., Ltd and sold in the Zhengda joy city office branch of Ruifa Clothing Co., Ltd is the South 2nd Zhongshan Road, Shanghai. Although the standard value shouldn’t be lower than level 3, test results prior to washing reveal that the permeable surface’s maximum wetting radius only reaches level 2. Additionally, the permeable surface’s liquid water diffusion speed is measured to be level 1 before washing and level 2 thereafter, although the normal value should be at least level 3. The ability to absorb perspiration and distribute it on the surface of fabrics are referred to as moisture absorption and quick-drying capability. Due to this product’s insufficient moisture absorption and quick drying capabilities, it is categorized as an unqualified one.

Table about unqualified functional garments supervised and sampled by the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Market Supervision

Purchase recommendations for functional clothing

The market supervision department has instructed the relevant entrepreneurs to take immediate action to stop selling unqualified products and deal with them for sale based on the test results of the sample. In addition, the department also takes proactive steps in compliance with relevant laws and regulations and sends producers and sellers who manufacture substandard goods to the local market supervision department for legal investigation in order to safeguard consumers’ legitimate rights and interests. And the following are the considerations you should make when purchasing functional clothing.

1 You should try to choose products with labels that clearly display the pertinent product information and carefully check hangtags and durability labels. The hangtag should be labeled with the following information, including the name of the factory, the address of the factory, the fiber content, the washing mark, the degree of quality, the standard code of the implementation, and the categories of safety technology.

2 Instead of trusting the excessive advertising of the company, you should sensibly purchase useful clothing depending on your demands. Furthermore, you should take into account the type of clothing that is clearly marked with the functional standard or that displays the test procedures and the functional standard.

3 The UV protective clothing with dark colors is better than those with light colors, thicker than thin, with tight fabric structure than loose fabric structure, and synthetic fibers like polyester than other natural fibers like cotton. Knitted textiles with the one-way moisture guide feature are the best option for choosing clothing that is quick to dry and absorbs moisture. For woven fabrics, you can choose clothing made of woven textiles whose raw materials are moisture-wicking yarns.