In today's increasingly demanding business climate, manufacturers and retailers must be confident that their products will stand up to the tightest scrutiny not just from their competitors, but also from the increasingly discerning consumer, who is nowadays more likely to challenge any purchases which fall below expectations.

Not only must products be "fit for purpose" and comply to the necessary safety and manufacturing legislation, but they should also meet the expectation of the end user, not least in terms of product life-time. The European Directive concerning General Product Safety now means that the safety of all the products has to be considered before they are placed on the market.

Due Diligence

Suppliers should ensure that they have evaluated their products sufficiently to be able to demonstrate, possibly to a court if challenged, that reasonable “Due Diligence” has been undertaken in terms of testing and to ultimately be able to defend the integrity of their products.

Although it is impossible to expect to be completely infallible to scrutiny, it is however possible to minimise the risk by taking the appropriate steps.

Shirley Technologies can assist in providing a range of information to assist clients with their textile product testing in this area including:

• Advice on legal compliance
• Independent and objective testing protocols
• Durability and Ageing Studies to determine product life-time
• Recommendations for "in-use" conditions

For further information on this subject click on one of the following links to download a leaflet in Adobe PDF format:

Product Lifespan Assessment through Durability Testing

'Due Diligence – Providing back-up to Product Scrutiny'