Intertek, a well-known provider of quality and safety solutions for a wide range of industries around the world, has just expanded its consumer goods testing laboratory in Tirupur, which offers enhanced chemical management and analytical services for textile and apparel industries.
The expansion of the laboratory, which has served the region since 1998, is in response to the growing demand from customers in the region to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals in the supply chain. Customers include textile manufacturers, suppliers and exporters. They are for efficient, cost-effective quality and safety testing to enable them to meet increasingly stringent international environmental standards and regulations.
Intertek can test textile products according to product safety regulations, including REACH, SvHC and CPSIA, as well as customers’ own restricted substances lists to ensure that banned chemicals are not being used in production. The location of the lab is in close proximity to manufacturing sites and buying offices, facilitating quick response to ever-changing textile and apparel regulations, as well as global industry standards.
“Known as the knitwear capital 
of India, Tirupur is the ideal location to invest in the expansion and enhancement of our textile and apparel testing laboratory capabilities. There is a real need in the region to manage and reduce waste in the form of hazardous chemicals, dyes and other water pollutants, and Intertek can help ensure compliance with global environmental standards to create a more sustainable textile industry in Tirupur,” said Paul Yao, Chief Executive of Intertek’s Consumer Goods business line. “In addition, the location better aligns Intertek to support and promote the business of our leading global retail customers that have sourcing operations here.”
Intertek’s expanded 37,000-square-foot laboratory draws upon the experience and resources of the company’s vast network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices in over 100 countries to bring to the region unparalleled knowledge and expertise on all global regulations and trends related to textiles and apparel. The expanded laboratory is ISO 17025 accredited and fully functional in delivering testing, inspection and social responsibility services with highest level of integrity.
Intertek provides innovative services to ensure compliance with environmental standards, as well as regulatory requirements across the globe, including fibre identification, flammability, care label instruction, performance testing and eco-textile certification. It will continue providing intensive training programs that focus on the various nuances of audits (BSCS, WRAP, SA 8000 and Sedex) pertaining to the textile industry in Tirupur.
From auditing and inspection, to testing, quality assurance and certification, Intertek people are dedicated to adding value to customers’ products and processes, supporting their success in the global marketplace. It has the expertise, resources and global reach to support its customers through its network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and 30,000 people in over 100 countries around the world.