More than half of the knit sweaters sold nationwide are incorrectly labeled as to the type of material used in production, according to a recent round of inspections by the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection.
Officials recently purchased 20 knit sweaters from hypermarkets, department stores and retail chains and found that 12, or 60 percent, were not made from the materials specified on the product label.
All the products which were in violation of the Commodity -Labeling Act (商品標示法) were manufactured in China, the bureau said.
Many of the mislabeled products claimed to contain a high percentage of natural fibers, such as wool, allowing for higher prices. In reality, the sweaters were made using cheaper synthetic materials, such as acrylic and nylon.
A Tai Yu brand sweater manufactured in China and sold at a luxury outerwear store in Greater Taichung claimed to contain 80 percent cotton and 20 percent acrylic. However, tests showed the sweater was actually made of 30.3 percent nylon and 69.7 percent rayon.
Another sweater, from the RICO brand which was also made in China, claimed to be made from 65 percent cotton and 35 percent polyester material. Inspections showed it only contained 19.5 percent cotton, while the rest was comprised of the cheaper polyester material.
Even well known brands such as Hang Ten made the list of mislabeled products, while high-end items, such as a sweater by Royal Queen’s Polo Team which retails for NT$1,080, also contained faulty labeling, as smaller quantities of wool were used than claimed by the manufacturer.
All sub-standard clothes were ordered to be taken off the shelves and the manufacturers were put on a watch list to either make improvements or face fines of between NT$30,000 and NT$300,000, the bureau said.
Bureau deputy director-general Huang Lai-ho (黃來和) said an easy way to test knitted sweaters at home was to take a small sample of fiber from the clothing and burn it. Synthetic fiber will burn quickly and leave a black, hard residue, but will not continue burning if it is removed from the flame.
On the other hand, 100 percent cotton will catch fire quickly and continue burning even if taken away the flame, producing a smell of burned paper and leaving white, soft ashes.
Since customers cannot use the fire test in stores, the bureau said they should carefully inspect the product label to determine whether the information is complete and avoid purchasing clothes that give off an acrid odor.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS