Almost every page of the website tells how precious are the only two fibers that make up the fabric of CAMCO products
... but then on the label we read that the composition is half simply "wool" and half "lyocell" .
What's behind it?
... and above all: what is "inside" it, in CAMCO products? What does "Made in Italy" mean?
“What is this?” – the buyer of CAMCO products may think – “throughout the website I read about how beautiful and good extrafine merino wool is, GOTS certified organic and mulesing-free, I read as many excellent words about fibers of TENCEL™ and of their being produced with a process so sustainable that it was awarded by the European Commission, of how the wood at the base of the production of TENCEL™ comes from sustainably managed forests, of how the fiber itself is biodegradable and compostable … I read all this… and on the label, sewn firmly to the product I received at home, I see simply “wool” and “lyocell” mentioned in the composition?
But what is this? What does my shirt really contain? Generic wool and lyocell or the materials described on the website?
… and does the ‘Made In Italy’, that I read on the label, really indicate an Italian production, at this point? “
Dear customer, you can trust CAMCO and now we explain why you read that on the label.
It is true that often garments show in composition “merino wool” or “TENCEL™” – or other specifications of sub-categories / commercial names of textile fibers – but the European legislation is clear and what must be indicated in a label, that is firmly on the garment and clearly readable, is the name of the generic fibers, in decreasing order of presence in the product.
In addition, this composition must be written in each language of the countries where the product is available for sale.
For this reason we cannot write the detailed specification of the two fibers used in our products but we only indicate “50% wool” and “50% lyocell”.
(And we remind you here that “TENCEL™” is a registered trade name, with which the Austrian company Lenzing AG identifies the generic lyocell fiber produced by them in an extremely sustainable process – which is not necessarily true for the generic lyocell fiber).
Then, sometimes, it even happens to have cases in which TENCEL™ is indicated on the label, indicating the generic lyocell fiber actually used, so it is beyond the case of having indicated the specific instead of the generic … and here someone is actually declaring the false.
On the other hand, no false claims are made if the wording “Made in Italy” is applied to products that are only marginally processed in Italy. This is because the conditions that can allow this wording are various and obviously it is all to the advantage of the manufacturer to slip into the largest mesh of the legislation and declare an Italian production, with all the prestige that this brings with it.
For this reason, on the label we specify the processes that take place on the national territory for our garments: weaving, purging, dyeing, finishing and packaging.
Basically everything that brings a thread to be a shirt, a shorts or a tank top.
“Made in Italy“ is also the elastic of our shorts, produced in the province of Bergamo, 91% with totally recycled polyester.
And Made in Italy are the cardboard boxes, the swing tickets affixed to each product, the recycled and recyclable polyester envelopes in which each garment is inserted.
But what are these conditions that allow to legitimately affirm that a product is Made in Italy?
In general, the origin of a product can be identified in Country “X”:
- If a substantial transformation occurs in this country X. Long story short: there is a change in the characteristics of the object and its use.
- If there is a change in the tariff classification. The tariff classification categorizes all goods on the basis of what is called the Harmonized System, created for declaration purposes. If a transformation leads to a change in this classification, the country in which this occurs can be declared as the country of origin of the product. trasformazione porta ad una variazione in questa classificazione, il Paese in cui ciò avviene può essere dichiarato come Paese d’origine del prodotto.
- If the percentage value of domestic materials for country X, or of production costs in the same country X, is higher than a certain minimum constraint – or if these values are within certain ranges for other countries – it can be indicated ” made in X “.
As for the countries of the European Union, the rules are dictated by the Union Customs Code in Article 60, which adds nothing to the above:
- “goods wholly obtained in a single country or territory are considered to originate in that country or territory”
“The goods to the production of which two or more countries or territories contribute are considered to originate in the country or territory in which they have undergone the last substantial and economically justified transformation or processing, carried out in a company equipped for this purpose, which has been completed with the manufacture of a new product or has represented an important phase of the manufacturing process “.
An attempt to clarify what was meant by “last substantial transformation” was made by the European Court of Justice (judgment C-49/76 of 26.01.1977):
“The last substantial transformation” occurs only in the hypothesis in which the resulting product has specific composition and properties that it did not possess before being subjected to such transformation or processing “.
Given the prestige of the “Made in Italy” brand, the Italian legislator has seen fit to introduce the “100% Made in Italy” brand with the D.L. 135/09 of 2009:
only products for which the design, planning, processing and making took place exclusively on the Italian territory can be considered entirely Italian (“100% Made in Italy”).
How does CAMCO position itself?
Our wool is Argentinian, the TENCEL™ fibers are Austrian, we receive the yarn which is already an intimate blend of these two fibers from an Italian company operating in the European Union and since we receive the yarn, all processes are carried out in Italy. This is also true for all accessories: elastic of shorts, packaging, swing tickets.
So what Made in Italy is, for CAMO:
- design: 100% “Made in Italy”
- processing (weaving, purging, dyeing and finishing): 100% “Made in Italy”
- making (cut&sew): 100% “Made in Italy”
- Packaging and accessories: 100% “Made in Italy”
Only the two raw materials (from Argentina and Austria) and the processing that leads them to be a single yarn (EU) are not Italian.
It really looks like all the criteria are met to allow us to say:
CAMCO is 100% Made in Italy.
Sources:
- https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/product-requirements/labels-markings/textile-label/index_en.htm
- Fashionary “The Fashion Business Manual”