Labelling norms for loose garments relaxed

No need to declare details of manufacturers under Packages Commodities Act

In a major relief to garments manufacturers and retailers, the textiles ministry has taken loose readymade garments out of the purview of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Act 2011. This means, garments manufacturers do not need to follow the labelling and packaging norms applicable for packaged commodities such as consumables.

Through a notification dated December 16, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, said: “The mandatory labelling requirements for pre-packaged commodities are, therefore, not applicable to garments sold in loose form.” 

The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Act 2011 mandates packaged commodities to incorporate name, descriptions, size, the full address and customer care number of the manufacturer. The Act mandates garments size to be measured in centimetres in India. 

Globally, however, garment size is measured in S (small), L (large), M (medium), XL (extra large), etc. Therefore, measuring garments only in centimetres has been a Herculean task. 

“This move by the government is a game-changer for the apparel industry. It not only gives us the ease of doing business but also provides freedom from the undue demands of the inspectors and their inspector raj. This is a progressive step to resolve a long-standing demand from the apparel industry,” said Rahul Mehta, president, Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI). 

“We normally pick up one or two garments out of a dozen we see, feel and check. So, loose garments could not have been treated as consumables like sugar, pulses etc which cannot be opened and checked. Now, garments do not require to declare the name of manufacturers, year of manufacturing etc. The exemption would bring in a major relief for producers and consumers,” said Mohan Sadhwani, executive director, CMAI. 

Under the Act, there were no clear labelling guidelines for loose garments, which made it difficult for apparel retailers to demarcate the labelling procedure between the pre-packaged and loose garments, thus causing unnecessary inconvenience during inspections at apparel retail showrooms. The provisions of the Act were severe for any offense and directors of the company were directly responsible for the same.

In case of readymade garments sold to consumers in pre-packaged form, mandatory labelling along with the size of the garments needs to be mentioned in metres or centimetres. Further, details such as S, M, L, XL, etc will be treated as additional declaration. 

Siddharth Bindra, managing director of Delhi-based Biba Apparels, said: “Removal of readymade garments from the Packaged Commodities Act is a landmark step, which will help in the ease of doing business and development of the apparel business in India.”