Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted to retain the FTC Care Labeling Rule, which ensures American consumers get accurate information on how to take care of their fabrics and extend the life of their clothes. The FTC had proposed repealing the 50-year-old clothing label rule last summer but received little support.

In effect since 1971, the Care Labeling Rule requires manufacturers and importers to attach labels with care instructions for garments and certain goods, providing instructions for dry cleaning or washing, bleaching, drying and ironing clothing. Public comment over the past decade has shown that the rule still provides valuable guidance and serves as an important tool for consumers, manufacturers, retailers, designers and dry cleaners alike, according to the FTC.

In July 2020, the FTC voted 3-2 to propose repealing this consumer protection all together. In a call for public comments at the time, the commission noted that the rule “may not be necessary to ensure manufacturers provide care instructions, may have failed to keep up with a dynamic marketplace, and may negatively affect the development of new technologies and disclosures.”

However, after proposing the repeal last summer, the FTC received more than 200 comments, with an overwhelming majority opposed to the repeal of the rule.

4. Lastly, we voted to retain the Care Labeling rule, which ensures buyers have accurate information on how to care for their clothing. While FTC last year proposed repealing the rule, public comments showed buyers & cleaners generally support keeping it. https://t.co/51ztoRiw8D

— Lina Khan (@linakhanFTC) July 23, 2021

Lina Khan, FTC chair, said the agency has periodically reviewed the Care Labeling Rule “to ensure the rule is keeping pace with new developments and still providing buyers with relevant information,” adding that the record supports retaining the rule, rather than repealing it.

Many people and small businesses opposed the repeal during the public comment period, pointing out that buyers rely on the labels to extend the lives of their clothes. Representatives from the apparel manufacturing and cleaning industries noted that removing the labels would increase the likelihood that consumers’ items could be damaged in the wash, thus exposing their businesses to unnecessary liability, according to the FTC.

“Repealing the rules would simply shift more risk and liability from clothing manufacturers, mostly located overseas, to small dry cleaning shops,” FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra wrote in a statement.

The FTC voted 5-0 to notify the public that it will not repeal the Care Labeling Rule.