former FTC Conference Center 601 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001 | Directions & Nearby
Event Description
The roundtable, which was free and open to the public, examined the Commission’s proposed amendments to the Rule set forth in its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published on September 20, 2012.
The roundtable focused on the proposed amendment permitting a wetcleaning instruction and comments urging the Commission to require a wetcleaning instruction. The wetcleaning discussion also addressed: (1) the cost of substantiating wetcleaning instructions; (2) the availability of wetcleaning services; (3) consumer awareness of wetcleaning; and (4) the content of labels providing a wetcleaning instruction (e.g., instructing “professionally wetclean” versus “wetclean”).
The roundtable also explored issues relating to the use of care symbols and the Commission’s proposal to clarify the Rule’s reasonable basis requirements. These discussions addressed: (1) the differences between ASTM and ISO symbols and between the 2005 and 2012 ISO symbols; (2) whether to require that labels identify ISO symbols if used to comply with the Rule; (3) the change in the meaning of the circle P symbol in the ASTM system; (4) the absence of ASTM and ISO symbols for solvents other than perchloroethylene (perc) and petroleum; (5) consumer understanding of symbols; and (6) how to clarify the Rule’s reasonable basis requirements.
In addition, the roundtable provided participants with an opportunity to discuss other issues raised by comments filed in response to the NPRM.
The roundtable was held from 9:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the FTC’s satellite building conference center, located at 601 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. The roundtable was open to the public.
The Commission accepted comments on the agenda topics, the issues discussed by the panelists at the roundtable, and the issues raised in comments received in response to the NPRM until April 11, 2014.