Taiwan Textile Federation Launches Functional Textile Certification System

To help Taiwan's textile industry lay a sounder foundation for the development of high-added-value products, the government-backed Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF) launched the Taiwan Functional Textiles (TFT) certification and labeling program at the Far Eastern Plaza Hotel in Taipei on Sept. 15. The launch was hosted by TTF chairman Roger Ho, with H.C. Chen, former chairman of the TTF, and Huang Yao-tang, chairman of the China Textile Institute (CTI), present as specially invited guests.

Ho said that the launch of TFT certification marks Taiwan's entry into the international quality-certification system for functional textiles. "The TFT label represents both the fashion and function of domestically made textiles, " he commented. "We will help domestic textile manufacturers to fulfill all necessary requirements for acquisition of the label so that they can take the lead in world fashion."

The chairman went on to say that Taiwan's textile manufacturers should strive to avoid price competition by developing products that are differentiated and feature high added-value. This is especially important in view of the rising competition from such emerging economies as mainland China, Indonesia, India, and Thailand, which will become even more intense after the export-quota system for textiles is lifted in 2005.

Despite the tough competition, Taiwan's textile industry still plays an important role in the global production and sales chain, thanks to the consolidation of the island's upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors.

According to statistics compiled by the TTF, Taiwan exported US$11.8 billion worth of textiles last year, ranking the island sixth in the world. In the first six months of this year exports of textiles amounted to US$6.31 billion and imports to US$1.3 billion, increases of 8.6% and 5.7%, respectively.

In sports and casual clothing, today's consumers are looking not only for fashion but also comfort and health, and it has become common practice in the industrially advanced countries for new functional textiles to be introduced on a regular basis. Some examples of functional fabrics are pure-cotton wrinkle-free apparel for office workers, sports fabrics made of elastic filaments, filaments with optimal absorption and sweat discharge, sun-protective textiles, thermal textiles, and far-infrared products that preserve heat.



Need for Recognized Certification


After years of research and development of functional textiles, Taiwan's textile companies can now agree on their future directions. Major firms are making all-out R&D efforts, and since buyers and consumers have to verify the claimed functions great value is stored in having a reliable organization guarantee product quality. This is why a certification system is important to local and overseas buyers and consumers alike.

Responding to the need for such a system, the TTF joined forces with five key partners-CTI, Intertek Testing Services Taiwan, SGS Taiwan, National Taiwan University, and Chang Gung University-to plan and implement the TFT certification system. The TFT label is now registered in Taiwan, the United States, the European Union, Japan, and mainland China.

The TTF moved to introduce the new system to the world by arranging an interaction area where TFT-certified functional textiles were showcased at the Taipei International Textile & Apparel Show (TITAS, which the TTF organizes), held on Sept. 21-22 at the Taipei World Trade Center.

With help from the Industrial Technology Department (ITD) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), 13 categories of functional textiles have been established under the TFT certification system: wrinkle-free cotton textiles, breathable-waterproof textiles, anti-bacterial textiles for medical sue, moisture-absorbing and quick-drying textiles, far-infrared textiles, anti-bacterial textiles for apparel and home use, sun-protective textiles, anti-static textiles, electromagnetic-shielding textiles for apparel and home use, water-repellent textiles, soil-release textiles, flame-resistant textiles, and oil-repellent textiles.

The certification system is implemented in three modes: pattern certification, batch-examination certification, and quality-guarantee certification. The pattern certification mode applies to products that are still in the development stage and have not yet entered commercial production, the batch-examination certification mode applies to single batches of quality-specified products, and the quality-guarantee certification mode applies to quality-specified products on a continuous basis.

By the end of September the TTF had signed letters of intent for cooperation with more than 40 prominent international brands and companies, providing for recognition of the new TFT certification. (Oct. 2004)