Test Requirement in Footwear and Leather Products: Quality Control

Footwear and Leather Product Testing

Testing Requirements for Footwear and Leather Products

In today's consumer goods market, quality and safety are at the forefront. Consumers expect that the products they buy are not harmful to their health, are produced in an environmentally friendly manner and are safe throughout their lifetime. Testing services play a critical role in meeting these expectations and increasing the credibility of brands. Particularly for leather goods, footwear and other consumer products, testing services help manufacturers and suppliers to assure the quality of their products, ensure compliance with standards and gain a competitive advantage in the market. In this blog post, we will discuss how testing services play an important role in consumer products.

Shoe and Leather Product Testing

Shoes play an important role in everyday life. There are a variety of shoes, both in terms of aesthetics and functionality, but when shoes are designed correctly, they provide comfort and support foot health. The materials used in its construction can also have a major impact on health and the environment. Leather shoes in particular can raise concerns due to the chemicals and toxic substances used in the manufacturing process. For example lead, cadmium, PAH (polyaromatic hydrocarbons), phthalates and organotins can be found in footwear and leather products. These chemicals pose a health risk and cause environmental pollution.

Chemicals in Footwear and Leather Products

• Azo Dyestuffs: Chemical compounds used to give color. In footwear, especially artificial leather and textile materials
• Formaldehyde: It is a chemical compound used mainly to improve the durability of textiles and to prevent wrinkles. In footwear, it is often used in leather processing. Leather is treated with formaldehyde to make it more durable and water resistant.
• Lead, Cadmium (Heavy Metals): Lead and cadmium are heavy metals found in footwear, especially in colorants, fasteners and plastic materials. The use of heavy metals in footwear is often through paint and metallic coatings. Lead and cadmium are elements that can accumulate in the body and cause serious health problems.
• Phthalates: Plasticizers, used to increase the flexibility of PVC and artificial leather. It is widely used in footwear, especially in plastic soles and leather-like materials. However, phthalates can have hormone disrupting properties, which can be dangerous to human health.
• PAH (Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons): Carcinogenic substances found in some materials used in shoe production, especially during leather processing and dyeing.
• Organotins: Chemical compounds with toxic properties, mainly used in PVC materials and leather. Organotins can be used to soften leather, apply protective coatings and may be included in some paints.
• Chromium (VI): Used in leather tanning processes. May increase the risk of skin allergies and cancer.

Nanolab Testing Services: The Solution for Safe Footwear and Leather Products

Shoe manufacturers and leather processing companies use testing services to prove that their products are safe and environmentally sound. Leather is a highly preferred material due to its aesthetics and durability. However, the chemicals used in leather production, especially chromium, Azo dyes and other harmful chemicals used in the processing process, can pose serious threats to the environment and human health. Therefore, it is essential that leather products are produced in a safe and environmentally friendly way. Certifications such as GOTS or OEKO-TEX guarantee that leather products are safe and environmentally friendly.

NanoLab uses advanced testing techniques such as HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography), GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry) and ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry) to detect harmful chemicals in consumer products. With these tests, it detects harmful components in the product content and checks whether the products comply with standards such as REACH, CPSIA, OEKO-TEX.

Why Nanolab?

Nanolab Laboratories Group ensures the safety of footwear and leather products by providing laboratory testing services in accordance with global standards. The laboratory has international accreditations for the accuracy and reliability of the tests, and is on the list of laboratories approved by the CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) committee by performing tests of products to be sold in the United States, especially children's products.

For more information, please contact us.
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