Product Safety

FDA Expands Dangerous Hand Sanitizer List to 163, Adds New Criteria
August 19, 2020 at 2:16 pm

The FDA has expanded its list of potentially harmful hand sanitizer products, as well as adding a new component that qualifies a product for the list. Previously, the list only included products containing methanol or manufactured in facilities containing methanol, but it now includes the ingredient 1-propanol and some ineffective products...

Dye-Free Future? Australian Scientists Hack Cotton DNA to Grow All Different Colors
August 17, 2020 at 12:02 pm

Researchers in Australia’s national science agency think they've found a way to tweak the molecular code of cotton so that it grows in all different colors. So far, they’ve created cotton in red, gold, purple and black in petri dishes, and hope to create reproducing plants in the near future. The implications for apparel manufacturing are pretty huge...

Apple Accused of Sourcing Employee Uniforms From Factories Connected to Forced Labor
August 13, 2020 at 2:05 pm

Apple is facing criticism after shipping records revealed that it sourced apparel from a Chinese company facing U.S. sanctions for using forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region. The apparel was most likely uniforms for Apple Store employees. The timing is especially poor, as Apple CEO Tim Cook recently told Congress that he would not tolerate…

FDA Dangerous Hand Sanitizer List Tops 135, Adds Another U.S. Manufacturer
August 12, 2020 at 1:01 pm

The FDA’s constantly-updating list of potentially harmful hand sanitizers has now risen to more than 135 products. Another U.S.-based manufacturer has now joined the list, too, with Dallas’s Santa Cruz Biotechnology initiating a voluntary recall. Georgia-based SG24 LLC also had to recall its SkinGuard24 All-Day Hand Sanitizer after it was labeled to contain methanol...

FDA List of Dangerous Hand Sanitizers Reaches 114, Includes Ohio Manufacturer
August 5, 2020 at 2:11 pm

The FDA list of potentially dangerous hand sanitizers containing or manufactured in facilities containing methanol has reached 114 products. The latest round of additions includes products from several suppliers based in Mexico, as well as Ohio-based Spartan Chemical Co. Inc....

Los Angeles Apparel Reopens After Cooperating With LA Health Officials
July 29, 2020 at 11:16 am

After more than 300 positive cases, four deaths and questions over safety protocols in the factory, Los Angeles Apparel’s manufacturing centers have reopened. “After working with our department, [Los Angeles Apparel is] insuring their employees are trained, physically distanced, wearing face coverings and that their facility is following enhanced cleaning regimens,” the department said, according…

'I've Never Been So Disgusted by a Businessperson': Employees Speak Out as Charney Says There's 'No Outbreak' at Los Angeles Apparel
July 22, 2020 at 11:32 am

After authorities ordered the facility shut down due to more than 300 positive COVID-19 cases and four employee deaths, Los Angeles Apparel founder Dov Charney said the company was in the right to continue operating. His reasoning? The numbers found in his company are “commensurate” with the COVID-19 rate in South Los Angeles overall, and therefore not indicative of an outbreak...

Major Flooding In China Is Disrupting PPE Supply Chains, Delaying Shipments
July 21, 2020 at 12:24 pm

Sourcing PPE, while lucrative for promo businesses, has also been challenging. Things could get a bit tougher now, as flooding has impacted major production hubs in China, including those manufacturing PPE for shipment to the U.S. The city of Wuhan, along with the provinces of Anhui, Jiangxi and Zhejiang, declared red alerts...

FDA Dangerous Hand Sanitizer List Now Tops 75 Products
July 20, 2020 at 11:30 am

The FDA has added to its list of potentially harmful hand sanitizer products, bringing the list to a new total of 75 products potentially containing methanol. The list still only includes products manufactured in Mexico, and the FDA has implemented an import alert on Friday for some products, in addition to the recalls and recommended recalls...