In August 2017, the China Badminton Association entrusted the International Down and Feather Testing Laboratory (IDFL) and the Guangzhou Fiber Products Testing Institute (GTT), two authoritative testing laboratories in down testing, to test down and feathers from China, France, Hungary and Poland. 13 down samples were tested, and the results showed that among the 13 samples, the highest quality grey duck down from Wuchuan, China, with a bulkiness of 22.1cm
Down is the light fluffy coating found beneath the feathers of duck and geese. Down is a three-dimensional cluster with dozens of soft fine filaments radiating from its centre. Down clusters expand or loft to fill space and trap tiny pockets of air within their filaments to create thousands of insulating pockets. The more down cluster a comforter contains, the higher it can loft generating more warmth.
Feathers are the rigid plumage found on the outside of ducks and geese. They have a flat appearance and are two dimensional in structure. The main purpose of feathers in bedding is to provide bulk and support.
It is the world's leading down inspection agency. Provides customer testing, product certification and supply chain audits for the down and textile industries around the world.
Starting with the humanitarian protection of animals, keeping animals free from cruelty and humane treatment down the supply chain, this is done by providing the best tools and best methods in the industry to ensure feathers come from animals that needlessly harm animals. body.
Downpass is one of the most authoritative certifications in the down industry and they all adhere to high standards of down and feather supply chain traceability, animal welfare and quality requirements that apply to all feathers and down, as well as bedding, apparel and outdoor gear of down and feather fillings. The well-known down brand "SIANDA" in China is DOWNPASS's designated global down promotion enterprise.
GRS certification must meet the requirements of traceability, environmental protection (Environmental), social responsibility (Social), recycling label (Label) and general principles (General). To apply for GRS certification, from the purchaser to the manufacturer, all must hold the GRS standard. The proportion of recycled content in its products must be greater than 20%; if the product is planned to carry the GRS logo, the proportion of recycled content must be greater than 50%.
It is an authoritative ecological textile standard recognized by the global textile industry. Its testing standards mainly refer to the latest laws, regulations and standard requirements in the textile field of different countries and organizations, from the input end to the production process to the end product. The entire supply chain has Corresponding certification, by adding new substances under investigation and strictly controlling the limit value, the residues of harmful substances in textiles are regulated.
BSCl is a social responsibility audit conducted by an organization that advocates the business community to comply with social responsibility on the global suppliers of BSCl organization members. Auditors will conduct audits from three aspects: program documents, production workshop site and employee interviews. The main concerns are compliance with the law, freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, prohibition of discrimination, compensation, working hours, workplace safety, prohibition of child labor, prohibition of forced labor, environment and safety.
Duck breeding is usually divided into free-range and captive breeding. The south is rich in water resources, and ducks are mostly free-range in rivers and lakes. There are many inland areas in the north, mainly in dryland captivity. The difference in breeding methods between the south and the north leads to the difference in the smell of down. Free-range geese and ducks that respect the natural life laws of animals, freely forage, swim, and bask in the sun have large feathers, light odor, and high fluffiness.
"Live plucking" originated from the ancient custom of assisting goose molting in Eastern European countries during the shedding period, and only exists in very individual goose populations. Since it was introduced into my country in the last century, "live plucking" has not been generally adopted by the majority of goose farmers because it is contrary to animal welfare protection and high production costs.
Since 2009, with the attention and supervision of animal protection organizations and the call of the China Down Industry Association to "reject live poultry products" in the industry, the behavior of "live plucking" has been difficult to gain a foothold in China's down industry. land. Due to the continuous increase in labor costs and the increase in the mortality rate of geese caused by live plucking, no one is willing to do live plucking business anymore.
The main reason for high-quality down is the processing technology after the down is collected. It must be subjected to strict washing treatment. The raw materials of down are washed with detergents and disinfectants in clean water at a certain temperature, repeatedly cleaned, rinsed, dehydrated, and then dried and disinfected by high-temperature steam at 120 ° C for more than 30 minutes. The raw materials can be removed. The ash, feces, blood and oil stains attached to it can achieve the purpose of disinfection and sterilization to remove peculiar smell.
However, if the manufacturer simplifies the washing process in pursuit of low cost, shortens the washing time, does not use clean water sources, uses inferior detergents and disinfectants, or does not control the process parameters in place, and the equipment is not strictly cleaned and disinfected according to regulations, Wet warehouses and poor ventilation conditions will affect the effect of disinfection and sterilization to remove odors, resulting in a strong down smell.
