FABRIC, GARMENTS, TEXTILE ACCESSORIES & TRIM TESTING PROGRAM

Transcription

1 FABRIC, GARMENTS, TEXTILE ACCESSORIES & TRIM TESTING PROGRAM Kohl s Testing Program for Apparel & Apparel Accessories Kohl s Department Stores (01/14/2019) Page 1

2 Contents Program Scope 3 Kohl's Textile Testing Program 4 Development and/or Pre-product testinng 4 Production Fabric or Piece Goods Testing 4 Production Garment Testing 5 Frequency of Testing 7 Products with Performance Claims 7 Trim Testing 8 Exceptions to the Testing Program 8 Fabric Grouping 8 Garment/Product Grouping 9 Examples Not Allowed in Garment Grouping 12 Sample Submission 13 Financial Responsibility For Testing 14 Test Report Revisions 14 Kohl's Random In-Store Audit Testing Program 14 Contact Information 15 Kohl s Department Stores (01/14/2019) Page 2

3 Program Scope The Kohl s Testing Program has been set-up to ensure that all private and licensed brand products meet the company s expectations of product quality and all federal/state/city regulatory compliance mandates. All vendors are responsible for ensuring that the products they ship to Kohl s are in compliance with the requirements outlined in this manual. If a vendor is not able to meet Kohl's Testing Program, it is responsibility of the vendor to notify Kohl's at the time of order placement. Kohl's Testing Program is for the benefit of Kohl's and does not replace the vendor's own monitoring. Kohl s requires vendors to stay up-to-date on the laws that govern the sale of textiles and related consumer products in the USA. It is the vendor s responsibility to ensure that merchandise shipped complies with all applicable regulatory standards. Merchandise in violation of such laws will be subject to cancellation and vendors will be fully responsible for any associated fines, penalties, lost sales or other financial ramifications cause by any such violation. A partial list of federal and state regulations is as follows: The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 California Proposition 65 The Care Labeling Rule, 16 CFR Part 423 The Textile Fiber Products Identification Act, 16 CFR Part 303 The Flammable Fabric Act, 16 CFR Parts 1610, 1615, 1616, 1631, 1632, 1611 The Wool Products Labeling Act, 16 CFR Part 300 The Fur Products Labeling Act, 16 CFR Part 301 Hazardous Substances and Articles, 16 CFR Part 1500 Ban of Lead-Containing Paint, 16 CFR Part 1303 Plumage Regulations, State of California Title 4 BHFTI Rules & Regulations, Article 5 Flammability Regulations, State of California Title 4 BHFTI Rules and Regulations, Article 13 -TB 117, 603, 116 Labeling of Filling Materials, State Requirements Customs Duties - Country of Origin Marking, 19 CFR Part 134 Product Size Specifications In order to accomplish the above objective, Kohl s has contracted with independent laboratory testing services. Kohl s will only accept test results issued by an accredited third party lab. Additional details on laboratory locations, contact etc can be found on K-Link website ( Kohl s Department Stores (01/14/2019) Page 3

4 There are 11 main aspects to the Kohl s Textile Testing Program: 1) Development Testing and/or Pre-production Testing 2) Production Fabric or Piece Goods 3) Production Garment 4) Frequency of Testing 5) High Performance Product Claims 6) Production Trim 7) Fabric & Garment Grouping 8) Sample Submission 9) Financial Responsibility 10) Test Report Revisions 11) Random In-Store Audit Testing 1) Development and/or Pre-production Testing To ensure Kohl s is receiving great quality products, development and/or pre-production testing is strongly recommended on new ideas & concepts, fabrications, fiber blends, finishes, treatments, applications, multiple component finished products etc. Such testing ensures that all product regulatory, safety, and performance issue are addressed prior to bulk production testing. Development and/or pre-production testing must be done prior to production testing. Either Kohl s or Vendor can request for development testing on as needed basis. Development & pre-production testing reports are for the Kohl s agent/vendor s self-reference purposes only. These reports are not be reviewed by Kohl s Product Integrity on a regular basis, however, Kohl s Product Integrity will be glad to partner with agent/vendor in the interpretation of such test reports on a case by case basis. 2) Production Fabric or Piece Goods Testing Kohl s has a 3 Tiered approach towards product testing. All products must meet the minimum Product Integrity standard of Tier 1. However, should business needs necessitate elevated quality levels for any particular style or brand, the options exists of selecting Tier 2 or Tier 3 standards. Additionally, all adult products tested under Tier 1 standards must be tested every 12 months or every 150,000 units per style & color; whichever comes first. Children s Product tested under Tier 1 should meet standards every 6 months or every 100,000 units per style & color. Product tested under Tier 2 and Tier 3 must be tested every 6 months or every 75,000 units per style & color; whichever comes first. Any discussion related to use of Tier 2 or Tier 3 standards must be initiated by Kohl s prior to order placement. 2.1) All production orders for textile fabrics must be tested and completed directly from the fabric suppliers. Textile fabrics must be compliant per our requirements under the Fabric Test Protocols 100 series. For any given style, A. Initial Full Package Testing Test on one color. - Possibly the darkest color from the assortment. - Minimum 3 yards, full width of representative piece goods. B. Additional Colorway Package Testing Test on the remaining colors. - Minimum ½ yard of each color, full width of representative piece goods. Kohl s Department Stores (01/14/2019) Page 4

5 At all times, vendors must ensure that all fabrics are tested prior to garment production. Factories can proceed with garment production only after getting fabric test report approvals from Kohl s Product Integrity or LF-Product Integrity. This includes but not limited to instances when the same fabric is sourced from multiple mills or multiple fabrics used on one given style. 2.2) Fabric must be the same fiber content, fabric construction and finish as contracted by Kohl s. It is generally adequate to base verification of the fiber content claim on test results from one color-way, with the exception of: A. Heathers - For any given style, that comes in both solid and heather colors, if the construction of the fabric is the same, test the darkest solid for the full fabric package, and for the heather test the additional colorway package and fiber content. If the construction of the fabric is different, please be sure to test the full fabric package for each construction/blend one solid and one heather. B. Cashmere - On all cashmere or cashmere blend products, it will be necessary to perform fiber analysis on all color-ways of each style. In selected cases grouping may be permitted when the same fiber is shared between multiple silhouettes/styles. Please refer to the Cashmere & Camel Hair Product Testing Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for additional details. Real and Faux Fur Policy: Kohl's does not allow the use of Real Fur in any of our private and exclusive brand products. The use of faux fur is permitted. However, the faux fur material used MUST meet all criteria outlined in the Kohl's Product Safety and labeling guidelines for apparel product. 3) Production Garment Testing 3.1) Random sample representing bulk production quality, must be sent to the Kohl s approved Laboratory. The bulk production quality garment and/or product must be representative of approved quality by Product Development in the following: A. Fabrication, Fabric Construction, Yarn Size and Fiber Content B. Fabric Weight C. Dyeing & Finishing D. Wash and any sort of treatment E. Finished Product Construction F. Trims G. Size Gift with purchase items sold with garments such as belts, detachable jewelry etc. must accompany the sample. Additionally, it is in the vendor's best interest to have production garments tested, in all colors, as early on as possible. Particularly those that have not been tested in raw material stage and/or those regulated by the federal government. 3.2) Production garment testing must be completed and receive a passing test report on ALL styles, at least 21 days prior to shipment. ALL styles must be compliant per our requirements under the Garment Test Protocols 200 series. For any given style: A. Items that have been tested in the fabric stage, ONE dark colorway per style will be subject to the full package garment testing per protocol 201, unless specified by Kohl s Product Integrity Team. Kohl s Department Stores (01/14/2019) Page 5

6 B. Styles that have NOT been tested in the fabric stage, ALL colorways per style will be subject to the following: 1) Initial Full Garment Package Testing Test on one color. - Possibly the darkest color from the assortment. - Number of samples, refer to the test protocol. 2) Additional Colorway Garment Package Testing Test on the remaining colors. - Number of samples, refer to the test protocol. Following are additions to the above requirement: 1. All Adult and Children products, in all colorways of any given style must be tested for applicable regulatory toxicity tests, i.e. Lead in Surface Coating, Total Lead in Substrate, Phthalates etc. 2. Garments that are color blocked or have contrast trims and multiple fabrications must be tested in all colorways for Appearance Retention. 3.3) Product categories that are exempt from fabric testing, but must be tested in all colorways in the garment stage, are as follows: Sweaters and Heathers Washed, Wet Processed, Resin or Chemically Treated Garments, including Denim Leather & Suede Apparel/Accessories Vinyl, Synthetic & Imitation Apparel Costumes Seamless Foundations Apparel/Textile & Non-Textile Accessories Kohl s Department Stores (01/14/2019) Page 6

7 Socks/Slipper Socks/Booties/ Tights and Hosiery Infant Bibs Belts, Jewelry Graphic Program SOP 4) Frequency of Testing All production quality fabrics and retail-ready garments must be tested. Adult products tested must be tested every 12 months or every 150,000 units per style & color; whichever comes first. Children s Product must be tested every 6 months or every 100,000 units per style & color; whichever comes first. Please note, for both adult and children s product, additional colorways must be tested as well. For additional information on tests to be conducted, number of samples needed for testing etc., please refer to the individual testing protocols section of this manual. Product tested under Tier 2 and Tier 3 (both Children s and Adult) must be tested every 6 months or every 75,000 units per style & color; whichever comes first. For additional information on tests to be conducted, number of samples needed for testing etc, please refer to the individual testing protocols under 100 & 200 series of this manual. Requirements 1) Fabric Testing: Adult products: every 12 months Children s Products: every 6 months 2) Garment Testing: Adult products every 12 months for every style and color if less than 150,000 units Children s products every 6 months for every style and color if less than 100,000 units for any given style and color. 3) Garment Testing for Tier 2 and Tier 3 (both Children s and Adult) products every 6 months for every style and color if less than 75,000 units and at 75,000 unit interval thereafter for any given style and color. 4) Please Note: GCCs are valid for 12 months for adult product and 6 months for children s. 5) Products with Performance Claims Products with performance claims, i.e. wrinkle resistant, quick dry, stain resistant etc. must be tested to substantiate the claim that is called out on the product. Vendor is responsible to make sure the claim is identified/ checked off on the Test Request Form (TRF). If claim is not listed, provide the claim in the box Other. All information on the TRF must be accurate and filled out completely. ** Vendor is responsible to make sure performance claim is tested. Kohl s can reject the goods if not tested** Kohl s Department Stores (01/14/2019) Page 7

8 6) Trim Testing Trims for All Kohl s private and licensed brand apparel products MUST be purchased from either a Preferred or Recommended Supplier for the following: 1) Buttons 2) Elastic 3) Metal Hardware (snaps, tacks, rivets, etc ) 4) Thread 5) Interlining 6) Zippers 7) Wire Casings 8) Hook and Eye Tape 9) Foam Pads 10) Bra Underwires Alternative trim suppliers are not allowed on any Kohl s private and licensed brand apparel products. Trims NOT listed above such as rhinestones, beads, sequins, glitter, hook and loop fastener, drawstring/drawcord etc, does NOT need to be purchased from our Preferred Trim Supplier Matrix. However, the trim MUST be submitted for testing to meet Kohl s performance expectations prior to placing order of trim. For additional details on Preferred Supplier Matrix, please refer to the Apparel Preferred Supplier Program Policy which can be found on K-Link website ( For additional details on Trim Testing and Standards, please refer to Trim Test Protocols 300 series. Kohl s Department Stores (01/14/2019) Page 8

9 7) Exceptions to the Testing Program 7.1) Fabric Grouping - Should a vendor use the same fabric (fiber content/construction/yarn count etc.) and same color across multiple styles, the vendor can reference all the styles to one fabric test request. However, the vendor is responsible for testing each style in the garment stage. For example - Jersey fabric in color "grape seed" is being used in an infant top, bottom and bodysuit. Fabric testing needs to be done only once however, the top, bottom and bodysuit would be tested individually. Testing only the top or only the bottom as a finished product will NOT suffice. 7.2) Garment/Product Grouping - Garment Group testing is allowed as per the following scenarios: A) Fabric/body/silhouette/trims are exactly the same across different size ranges; however, has separate style numbers. Example 1: Petite, Regular, Slim, Husky and Plus sizes Styles PN1234 / NN1234 / MN1234 Fabrication/Fiber Content: 94% Cotton 6% Rayon Knit Submission: Style NN1234 Regular Size for full package testing Style PN1234 & MN1234 Petite and Plus for photo reference in test report Colorways Jungle Moss Feather Stone Sea Pink Petite / Regular / Plus Petite / Regular / Plus Petite / Regular / Plus Kohl s Department Stores (01/14/2019) Page 9

10 Example 2: Children s Sizes Infant/Toddlers, Boys 8-20/Young Mens etc. Styles IGS39111KA (Infant) TGS39111KA (Toddler) Fabrication/Fiber Content: Pointelle / 100% Cotton Submission: Style IGS39111KA Infant for full package testing Style TGS39111KA Toddler for photo reference in test report Colorways Pink Flower Pink Flower B) Hemline/Neckline/Sleeve Length Styles which have the same fabric/body/silhouette/trims, but they come in different hemline, neckline or sleeve length. Example 1: Infant/Newborn Footed & Non-Footed Rompers Styles NPF10002GNBNUN NPF10002GNBFUF Fabrication/Fiber Content: Knit Interlock / 100% Cotton Submission: Style NPF10002GNBFUF - Footed Romper for full package testing Style NPF10002GNBNUN NonFooted for photo reference in test report Colorways Pink Prt/Stp Pink Prt/Stp Kohl s Department Stores (01/14/2019) Page 10

11 Example 2: Long Sleeve & Short Sleeve Styles TBJ56789 TBJ12345 Fabrication/Fiber Content: Sueded Jersey / 100% Cotton Submission: Style TBJ Long Sleeve for full package testing Style TBJ56789 Short Sleeve for photo reference in test report Colorways Yellow Mustard Yellow Mustard Example 3: Short Length & Long Length Styles GLS39271KA GLS39270KA Fabrication/Fiber Content: French Terry / 95% Cotton 5% Spandex Submission: Style GLS39270KA - Long Pant for full package testing Style GLS39271KA Short Length for photo reference in test report Colorways Lt Grey Hthr Lt Grey Hthr Kohl s Department Stores (01/14/2019) Page 11

12 C) Garments & Products Sold together as a Set Fabric/Trims etc. must be exactly the same Example 1: Cold Weather Accessory, 3-Piece Set Styles Scarf w/fringe Glove w/cuff Hat w/cuff Fabrication/Fiber Content: Knit / Cotton/Polyester/Acrylic/Spandex Submission: All 3: Scarf, Glove and Hat Colorways Brown/Pink Stp Brown/Pink Stp Brown/Pink Stp Example 2: Infant/Newborn garments with and without bib Styles NBJ2950 (Newborn) IBJ2950 (Infant) Fabrication/Fiber Content: Knit Jersey / 100% Cotton Submission: Style NBJ2950, Both Garment with bib for full package testing Colorways Sprkl Blue Sprkl Blue Kohl s Department Stores (01/14/2019) Page 12

13 7.3) The following examples are NOT allowed for garment grouping Example 1 - Garment grouping is not allowed due to solid color vs. print even if they share the same style number / silhouette / fabrication / fiber content. Example 2 - Garment grouping for different gender is not allowed even if they share the same fiber content/fabrication/silhouette, i.e. boy, girl, and unisex. Kohl s Department Stores (01/14/2019) Page 13

14 8) SAMPLE SUBMISSION 8.1) When? Test samples must be elected from early production run, in order to help ensure testing can be completed before x-factory date. Kohl s recommends: Fabric & Trim Testing Testing Complete = at least 50 days prior to x-factory date Garment Testing Testing Complete = at least 21 days prior to x-factory date Product must be submitted to a third party lab and receive a passing test report with enough time for corrective action should any problems be found during product testing. It is the vendor/agent s responsibility to ensure enough time has been scheduled. 8.2) Where? Test samples may be forwarded to the nearest test laboratory authorized by Kohl s (See approved labs and capabilities section K-Link website ( for a listing of authorized laboratories). 8.3) What? The required number of samples must be sent for testing as listed on each protocol. If the laboratory does not receive the correct number of samples, testing will be put on hold. The suggested minimum number of samples is indicated on the last page of each of Kohl s Test Protocol or can be obtained by contacting the laboratory directly. Completed Kohl s Test Request Form must accompany all samples submitted to the laboratory. Testing will not commence without completed Test Request Form and/or sufficient samples for testing. It is vendor/agent s responsibility to complete the test request form as accurate as possible, wrong information will result in delay of test results. 9) FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR TESTING The financial responsibility of all costs associated with product testing (unless identified), are that of the vendor. This includes the cost of shipping the samples to the lab, and charges associated with returning tested samples to the vendor, should the request be made. The vendor will also be responsible for re-testing, should additional testing be required due to failures detected during initial testing. The third party laboratory will bill the vendor directly for the testing charges. Vendors are required to work with the labs directly to set-up accounts, and establish terms of engagement for conducting business. 10) TEST REPORT REVISIONS If an error is made on a test report due to incorrect information submitted on the test request form by the Agent/Vendor, the Agent/Vendor will be charged a service fee for the revised/ corrected test report. If a style number change or other Kohl s approved valid changes need to be made to the test report, Agent/Vendor must seek approval from Kohl s Product Integrity Team. Vendor must provide an explanation to the Kohl s Product Integrity team when requesting revisions to the existing test report. There will be no Kohl s Department Stores (01/14/2019) Page 14

15 invalid changes to an existing test report, i.e. changing a development report into a Kohl s Production test report or vise versa. Agent/Vendor must seek approval from Kohl s Product Integrity Team. A service fee for the revised/correct test report will apply. ** Agent/Vendor/Factory/Supplier is NOT permitted to revise or alter an official test report document. All revisions are to be made by the 3 rd party lab that issued the report. ** 11) Kohl s RANDOM IN-STORE AUDIT TESTING PROGRAM It is absolutely vital that the final products shipped to Kohl's are identical in all respects to the samples submitted to Kohl s approved 3 rd Party Testing Laboratory for required product testing. In order to provide further assurances, Kohl's has developed and implemented a supplemental testing program under which Kohl's will from time-to-time pull merchandise from our stores for additional testing. This testing is in addition to, and not in lieu of, all required testing and certifications that are to be performed prior to shipping products to Kohl's. In the event that any discrepancies are found between the products tested prior to shipment and the products on Kohl's sales floor, Kohl s will reach out to the vendor to address our concerns and reach a resolution. This resolution may include, but is not limited to, additional testing on the products currently on Kohl's sales floor, marking-down products, pulling products off sale, issuing charge backs for any losses incurred, including, but not limited to, any lost sales profits, on account of product discrepancy and/or issuing cost of quality charges. Nothing herein limits or otherwise restricts Kohl's ability to pursue any and all rights and remedies available under our merchandise purchase order, and nothing in this Random In-Store Audit Testing Program removes or reduces any obligations vendors have to Kohl's regarding the merchandise supplied to Kohl's. CONTACTS FOR KOHLS PRIVATE BRAND SOFTLINES TESTING For all Softlines Product Testing queries please to Testing.Softlines@Kohls.com. Mailing Address: Menomonee Falls Office Kohl s Department Stores Attn: Product Integrity N56 W17000 Ridgewood Drive South Dock Menomonee Falls, WI Phone: Kohl s Department Stores (01/14/2019) Page 15