Intertek, a Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide, to help textiles and leather goods brands, retailers and manufacturers identify harmful Alkylphenols (AP) and Alkylphenol Ethoxylates (APEOs) commonly used in manufacturing to announce the launch of its AP/APEOs Quick Test service.

Intertek’s AP/APEOs Quick Test is unique in that it can detect the existence of AP/APEOs in water soluble chemical samples. This allows pre-screening to be performed at the initial stage, enabling companies to identify these hazardous chemicals early in the manufacturing process, as opposed to during the mass production phase when considerable time and funding has already been invested. The AP/APEOs Quick Test enables the industry to mitigate the associated risks and ensure consumer safety.

In textiles and leather goods production, surfactants that contain AP/APEOs are commonly used during the dyeing and wet finishing processes. There has been mounting awareness among consumers and environmental groups of the hazards these chemicals present to both human health and the environment.

The AP/APEOs Quick Test further supports Intertek’s comprehensive suite of chemical testing services including Restricted Substances List (RSL) compliance and Chemical Smart Screening for the textiles and leather industry. These services complement companies’ chemical management programmes and help to ensure compliance with programmes for local, national and global regulations such as EU REACH and California’s Proposition 65. They also assist environmental sustainability efforts through wastewater and sludge testing.

Calvin Yam, Senior Vice President of Global Softlines at Intertek said that leveraging Intertek’s market-leading expertise in chemical testing and its in-depth understanding of the challenges faced by the textiles and leather industry, they developed the AP/APEOs Quick Test as a practical solution for their customers. Their AP/APEOs Quick Test offers an added layer of assurance throughout the supply chain as a result of the detection limit being lower than what is set by NGOs and industry organisations.

Intertek has network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 42,000 people in more than 100 countries, delivers innovative and bespoke Assurance, Testing, Inspection and Certification solutions for their customers’ operations and supply chains.