WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday it sent warning letters to dozens of retailers cautioning them to review their advertising and labeling practices for green textile products.
The FTC told retailers they could face possible action by the commission if they sold clothing and other textile products labeled as bamboo that were really made of rayon. According to the FTC, many textiles made from natural sources, like bamboo, must be labeled as rayon because the process required to make them essentially transforms raw bamboo into rayon, a fiber composed of regenerated cellulose.
The list of retailers included Wal-Mart Inc., Target Corp., Saks Fifth Avenue, Sears Holdings Corp., Gap Inc., Macy’s Inc., Bloomingdale’s, Barneys New York, Nordstrom Inc., J.C. Penney Co. Inc., Kohl’s Corp., Hanesbrands Inc., Isotoner, Land’s End, Amazon.com and Zappos.com.
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The FTC has focused increasingly on the validity of green claims and particularly on the labeling of bamboo products. In August, the commission sued four manufacturers for allegedly using misleading labels and advertising on rayon products and claiming they were bamboo. All four companies settled and agreed to modify the claims they made about their products.