The FTC's guidance on the Textile Rules says that when a textile product is advertised in a catalog or other mail order material, including on an internet site, the description must clearly and conspicuously say whether the item was "made in U.S.A.", "imported", or "made in U.S.A. and imported". It also says that if a written ad, including an internet ad, makes any statement about a fibre or implies the presence of a fibre, the fibre content information required on the label must appear in the ad, though without the percentages.

Origin on every product page

Add an origin line to each product description, for example "Imported". Use "Made in U.S.A. and imported" where the product is made in the US of imported materials or processed partly abroad, and "Made in U.S.A. or imported" where some units come from each source. The statement must be consistent with the labels on the products.

Fibre mentions

A phrase like "super-soft cotton feel" mentions a fibre, so the page should give the fibre content as on the label, for example "cotton, polyester" in order of predominance by weight. The guidance says fibres under 5% are listed as "other fiber" unless they have a functional significance, and the names must be equally conspicuous. Many brands simply show the full fibre content with percentages, which also helps customers.

Fibre trademarks

If a page uses a fibre trademark, the guidance says the fibre content must be disclosed at least once in the ad, with the trademark placed immediately next to the generic fibre name in lettering of equal size. An asterisk pointing to a footnote is not enough.

Keep pages and labels in sync

Pages are often written once and reused for new colours. If a heather colour has a different blend or a style moves to another country, update the page. Build fibre and origin fields into your product data, filled from the approved label, rather than writing them by hand in each description.

Other claims

Claims such as "pre-shrunk", "quick-dry" or "recycled" need their own support. Avoid wording that suggests a premium fibre the product does not contain.

For specific cases, the FTC guidance and rules are the reference, and a compliance adviser can confirm the wording.