AAMA American Apparel Manufacturers Association. AAMA is the U.S. national trade association of apparel manufacturers. The association manages the development of TALC/SAFLINC's standards.

AATCC American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. AATCC is an international consensus standards developer that specializes in the area of auxiliary textile chemistry (i.e., colorfastness, dyeing, finishing, staining, bleaching, and laundering) standards.

Administrator The person responsible for coordinating the USA TAG delegation's standards activities within a specific ISO Technical Committee.

AFMA (AFiMA) American Fiber Manufacturers Association. AFMA is the U.S. national trade association of fiber producers.

AFMA (AFuMA) American Furniture Manufacturers Association. AFMA is the U.S. national trade association of residential furniture manufacturers and is a consensus standards developer for the Joint Industry Upholstery Fabrics Standards and Guidelines and UFAC.

ANSI American National Standards Institute. the USA representative body in ISO. ANSI is the coordinating body for standards development in the U.S.; however, it is not a standards developer.

ASC X12 Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) X12. the main objective of the ASC X12 Committee is to develop standards to facilitate electronic interchange relating to business transactions associated with the provision of products and services.

ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials. ASTM is an international consensus standards developer, with more than 35,000 members world-wide that serve on 132 different technical committees.

ASQ The American Society for Quality advances individual and organizational performance excellence worldwide by providing opportunities for learning, quality improvement, and knowledge exchange.

ATMA American Textile Machinery Association. ATMA is the U.S. national trade association of textile machinery manufacturers. Members can be foreign-owned companies, but they must have some U.S. manufacturing capacity.

AWC American Wool Council. AWC is the U.S. national trade association of ranchers, shearers, and distributors of wool products.

BIFMA Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association. BIFMA is the U.S. national trade association of contract or commercial furniture manufacturers and is a consensus standards developer.

Can A verb term used in a standard to emphasize possibility or capability.

Can not A verb term used in a standard to emphasize non-possibility or non-capability.

CASCO ISO's Committee on Conformity Assessment. CASCO is a policy committee in ISO that serves as a forum on conformity assessment issues. The committee studies means to assess conformity of products, services and quality systems; it prepares international guides on testing, inspection and certification of products, processes and services; and it promotes mutual recognition and acceptance of national and regional conformity assessment systems.

CD The ISO acronym for a Committee Draft of a standard under development (fourth stage of development of an ISO standard).

CE European certification mark or insignia. It indicates that a product meets the requirements of a European Union directive or regulation.

CEN European Committee for Standardization (Committee European pour Normalization) develops regulations for use by the European Union countries. The organization typically specifies ISO standards for these regulations. If there is no existing ISO standard for the particular need, the Committee may develop its own test methods and standard and propose it as an international standard in ISO.

CENELEC European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization develops electrotechnical regulations for use by the European Union countries. CENELEC and IEC's relationship is parallel to that of CEN and ISO.

CI Cotton Incorporated. The organization is the research and marketing arm of the U.S. upland cotton industry.

CIC ANSI Consumer Interest Council. The CIC facilitates the representation of consumers' interest in the voluntary standards process and enhances the effectiveness and credibility of the ANSI Federation.

CIM Computer Integrated Manufacturing.

CITA Committee to Implement Textile Agreements / U.S. Dept. of Commerce.

CoI Cordage Institute. CoI is the U.S. national trade association of cordage and rope manufacturers and it is a consensus standards developer.

Consensus ISO defines consensus as the "general agreement, characterized by the absence of sustained opposition to substantial issues by any important part of the concerned interests and by a process that involves seeking to take into account the views of all parties concerned and to reconcile any conflicting arguments."

Convenor National body that serves as coordinator of a Working Group under a Technical Committee or Subcommittee.

COPANT The Pan American Standards Commission, known as COPANT, is a civil, non-profit association. It has complete operational autonomy and is of unlimited duration.

COPOLCO ISO's Committee on Consumer Policy. COPOLCO is a policy committee in ISO that serves as the international voice for consumers. The committee provides a forum for the exchange of experience on consumer participation in the development of standards, promotes standardization for information, training and protection of consumers, and evaluates a means to assist consumers to benefit from standardization. The idea for the ISO 9000 standards on quality and the ISO 14000 environmental standards were created in COPOLCO.

CPSC The Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC is an independent federal regulatory agency that was created in 1972 by Congress in the Consumer Product Safety Act. In that law, Congress directed the Commission to "protect the public against unreasonable risks of injuries and deaths associated with consumer products." The agency has jurisdiction over about 15,000 types of consumer products, from automatic-drip coffee makers to toys to lawn mowers.

CRI Carpet & Rug Institute. CRI is the U.S. national trade association of manufacturers or carpet and rugs.

Customs U.S. Customs Service / Department of the Treasury.

DAMA Demand Activated Manufacturing Architecture.

DEVCO ISO's Committee on Developing Country Matters. DEVCO is a policy committee in ISO that serves as a forum for identifying the needs of developing countries in the field of standardization and assisting these countries as necessary. Having established these needs and requirements, DEVCO can recommend measures to assist developing countries to meet these goals. DEVCO offers discussion of all aspects of standardization for the exchange of experience among developed and developing countries.

Directive A regulation issued by the European Commission.

DIS The ISO acronym for a Draft International Standard (fifth stage of development of an ISO standard).

DISA Data Interchange Standards Association. Represents E-Commerce professionals from around the world. Affiliated with EC User Groups, the Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) X12, and many others. Facilitates an interchange of e-commerce topics hitting the global market. In other international arenas, DISA and ASC X12 serve as the entry point for the United States into the United Nations/Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport (UN/EDIFACT), an international standard relating to the exchange of trade goods and services

DOC U.S. Department of Commerce.

DoD U.S. Department of Defense.

EC European Community (see EU).

EDI Electronic Data Interchange.

EFTA European Free Trade Association. Member countries include: Austria, Finland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. In 1995, these countries were given invitations to join the EU.

EOTC European Organization for Testing & Certification.

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

EU European Union. Countries which join the EU will share common laws, regulations and standards. Member countries include: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

FASLINC Fabric and Suppliers Linkage Council. FASLINC is a consensus standards maintenance group, administrated by ATMI's Business and Technology Integration Committee, that develops standards for electronic commerce between textile manufacturers and their suppliers.

FDIS The ISO acronym for Final Draft International Standard (sixth stage of development of an ISO standard).

FTAA Free Trade Area of the Americas. A proposed trade area for the western hemisphere that would include Central, North and South America.

FTC U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. GATT was the earliest world trading organization and has been replaced with the WTO.

HANs Term for Harmonized American Norms or the harmonization of standards for NAFTA countries.

IEC International Electrotechnical Commission. Parallel organization to ISO which develops electrical and related standards.

IFAI Industrial Fabrics Association International. IFAI is the U.S. national trade association of companies that use industrial fabrics and convert them into specific end-products (i.e., tents, awnings, marine covers, banners). IFAI is a consensus standards developer.

IFI International Fabricare Institute. IFI is the U.S. national trade association for dry cleaning and laundering service companies.

INDA Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry. INDA is the U.S. national trade association of manufacturers of nonwoven fabrics and it is a consensus standards developer.

INFCO ISO's Committee on Information Systems and Services. INFCO is a policy committee in ISO that serves as a forum to: coordinate and harmonize activities of ISO on information services, databases and marketing and sales of standards; and to monitor and guide the activities of ISO Information Network.

IS ISO acronym for an International Standard (last stage of development of an ISO standard or a finalized standard).

ISO International Organization for Standardization. ISO is an international consensus standards developer that has more than 200 different technical committees.

ISO TC 38 The ISO Technical Committee on Textiles. Its subcommittees include: SC 1 Test for Coloured Textiles & Colorants; SC 2 Cleansing, Finishing and Water Resistant Tests; SC 11 Care Labeling of Textiles & Apparel; SC 12 Textile Floor coverings; SC 19 Burning Behavior of Textiles and Textile Products; SC 20 Fabric Descriptions; SC 21 Geotextiles; SC 22 Product Specifications; SC 23 Fibres and Yarns; WG 9 Nonwovens; WG 13 Standard Atmospheres for Conditioning and Testing; WG 15 Pilling; WG 16 Abrasion Resistance and Seam Slippage; and WG 17 Physiological Properties of Textiles.

ISO TC 72 The ISO Technical Committee on Textile Machinery and Allied Machinery and Accessories. Its subcommittees include: SC 1 Spinning Preparatory, Spinning, Twisting & Winding Machinery; SC 3 Machinery for Fabric Manufacturing including Preparatory Machinery; SC 4 Dyeing & Finishing Machinery; SC 5 Industrial Laundry and Dry Cleaning Machinery; SC 7 Data Interfaces for Monitoring & Control of Textile Machinery; SC 8 Safety Requirements for Textile Machinery; SC 9 Graphical Symbols for Textile Machinery.

ISO TC 92 The ISO Technical Committee on Fire Tests on Building Materials, Components and Structures. Its subcommittees include: SC 1 Reaction to Fire; SC 2 Fire Resistance; SC 3 Toxic Hazards in Fires; SC 4 Fire Safety Engineering; and WG 8 Fire Terms and Definitions.

ISO TC 94 The ISO Technical Committee on Personal Safety - Protective Clothing & Equipment. Its subcommittees include: SC 1 Head Protection; SC 3 Foot Protection; SC 4 Personal Equipment for Protection from Falls; SC 6 Eye Protection; SC 12 Hearing Protection; and SC 13 Protective Clothing.

ISO TC 133 The ISO Technical Committee on Sizing Systems and Designations for Clothes. There are no subcommittees under this committee.

ISO TC 136 The ISO Technical Committee on Furniture. Its subcommittees include: SC 1 Test Methods; SC 3 Specifications and Properties of Materials and for Workmanship; SC 5 Domestic Furniture; SC 6 Office Furniture; SC 7 Furniture for Educational Institutions; and SC 9 Hardware for Furniture.

ISO TC 199 The ISO Technical Committee on Safety of Machinery. There are no subcommittees under this committee; WG 1 Basic Principles; Methodology and Terminology, and WG 2 Hygiene for the Design of Machinery.

ISO TC 207 The ISO Technical Committee on Environmental Management. Its subcommittees include: SC 1 Environmental Management Systems; SC 2 Environmental Auditing; SC 3 Environmental Labeling; SC 4 Environmental Performance Evaluation; SC 5 Life-Cycle Assessment; SC 6 Terms and Definitions/Terms Between; WG 1 Environmental Aspects in Product Standards; and WG 2 Forest Management.

ISO XXXXX Numeric designation of an individual standard or series of standards developed by a specific ISO Technical Committee.

ISO 9000 Series of quality management and assurance standards developed by ISO TC 176.

ISO 14000 Series of environmental management standards currently being developed in ISO TC 207.

ISPA International Sleep Products Association. ISPA is the U.S. national trade association of mattress and bedding manufacturers and it is a consensus standards developer.

ITMF International Textile Manufacturers Federation. ITMF is an international trade association of textile

manufacturers.

IWS International Wool Secretariat. Responsible for developing specifications and test methods that govern the use of the Woolmark and Woolblendmark in principle to all textiles that are 100% new wool.

IWTO International Wool Textile Organization. IWTO is an international trade association for wool and a consensus standards developer.

Liaison ISO term for formal communications between two or more committees that share mutual interest in a technical area (e.g., ISO TC 72 - Textile Machinery and ISO TC 199 - Safety of Machinery). The purpose of the liaison is to improve communications and to eliminate duplication of work.

May A verb term used in a standard to emphasize that the described course of action is permissible within the limits of the standard.

May not A verb term used in a standard to emphasize that the described course of action is not permitted within the limits of the standard.

Metrology The science of weights and measures or of measurement.

MFA The Multi-Fiber Agreement. The MFA was an international trade agreement created in 1974 that governed the trade of yarns, textiles, home furnishings, and apparel. It was replaced by the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) in 1995.

NADFD National Association of Decorative Fabric Distributors. NADFD is the U.S. national trade association of companies involved in the commercial distribution of drapery and upholstery fabrics.

NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement.

NAHM National Association of Hosiery Manufacturers. NAHM was the U.S. national trade association of manufacturers of hosiery. It is now an international organization of hosiery manufacturers known as The Hosiery Association.

National Body A member organization/country in ISO (ANSI is the U.S. member body in ISO).

NATSF North American Trilateral Standardization Forum. Member bodies include Mexico's government standards office - SECOFI; Canada's government standards office - Standards Council of Canada; and the USA's standards coordinator - ANSI.

NAUMD National Association of Uniform Manufacturers & Distributors. NAUMD is the U.S. national trade association of manufacturers and distributors of uniforms.

NCC National Cotton Council of America. NCC is the U.S. national trade association of cotton producers, ginners, cottonseed crushers, merchants, warehouseman, cooperative and textile manufacturers.

NFPA National Fire Protection Association. NFPA is a consensus standards developer that specializes in fire safety standards for products, services and building codes.

NIST National Institute of Standards & Technology / U.S. Dept. of Commerce. NIST is a non-regulatory government research laboratory that specializes in measurement, metrology, standards, and technology.

NKSA National Knitwear and Sportswear Association. NKSA is the U.S. national trade association of manufacturers of knitwear and sportswear.

Normalization A synonym for standardization.

NP ISO acronym for a New Work Item Proposal (the second stage in the development of an ISO standard).

NRF National Retail Federation. NRF is the U.S. national trade association of retailers. The federation manages the development of VICS's standards.

NSSN National Standards Systems Network. NSSN is an electronic network of U.S. standards developers that can be accessed through the world wide web. The network links all U.S. standards developers home pages, provides a catalog of all U.S. consensus standards, and has a mechanism for commercial purchasing of these standards.

OHSMS Occupational Health and Safety Management System.

OSHA U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration./ U.S. Department of Labor.

prEN XXXXX An acronym for Preliminary European Normative. The preliminary stage of development in a European directive. Numbering sequence is identical to ISO standard number but has the "prEN" as a prefix.

Project Leader Individual who serves as coordinator of a preliminary work item, project or round-robin test series in ISO activities.

PWI The ISO acronym for a Preliminary Work Item under development in an ISO Technical Committee, Subcommittee or Working Group (first stage in the development of an ISO standard).

QR Quick Response. Quick response is a business strategy to meet the changing requirements of a competitive market place, which promotes responsiveness to consumer demand, encourages business partnerships, makes effective use of resources, and shortens the business cycle throughout the chain, from raw material to consumer.

Resolution A motion approved by an ISO TC, SC or WG. Action items for any ISO committee.

SC The ISO acronym for a Subcommittee.

Secretariat National body/country that serves as the chairman and secretary of an ISO Technical Committee or Subcommittee. Responsible for the management of the TC or SC.

Shall A verb term used in a standard to indicate a requirement that is to be strictly followed (mandatory).

Shall not A verb term used in a standard to emphasize a requirement that is strictly not allowed (mandatory).

Should A verb term used in a standard for a recommended practice (non-mandatory).

Should not A verb term used in a standard that is not a recommended practice (non-mandatory).

SPSC (Sleep Products Safety Council). Established in 1986 by the International Sleep Products Association to provide consumer safety information, support research and promote activities aimed at reducing hazards associated with sleep products.

SPESA Sewn Products Equipment Suppliers Association. SPESA is the U.S. national trade association of suppliers of sewing equipment.

TAG Technical Advisory Group. Associations and delegates from the USA with interest in the standards being developed in a specific ISO Technical Committee.

TALC/SAFLINC Textile and Apparel Linkage Council and Sundries & Apparel Findings Linkage Council.

TALC/SAFLINC is a consensus standards developer that develops electronic field data standards for electronic commerce between fabric manufacturers and sundries manufacturers (i.e., interfacing, buttons, trim) with apparel manufacturers. The standards development work is overseen by AAMA and ATMI.

TC The ISO acronym for a Technical Committee.

TCATA Textile Care Allied Trades Association. TCATA is the U.S. national trade association of service organizations that clean textiles, apparel and home furnishings.

TMB ISO Technical Management Board. The TMB is the highest level committee in ISO addressing technical issues and it oversees the operation of all ISO Technical Committees.

TMB Textile Monitoring Body. A body within the WTO that monitored world trade practices of textiles during the phase-out of the MFA.

UCC Uniform Code Council. UCC is a council that establishes best practices via standards for product identification and electronic data interchange.

UPC Uniform Product Code. The UPC is a system for uniquely identifying the thousands of different supplier and the millions of different items that are warehoused, sold, delivered, and billed throughout retail and commercial channels of distribution. It provides an accurate, efficient and economical means of controlling the flow of goods through the use of an all-numeric product identification system.

USATISC U.S. Allied-Textile Industry Standards Coalition. USATISC is a coalition of U.S. textile-related trade associations, textile standards developers, and government agencies with interests in textile standards. The Coalition was formed in 1994 by ATMI and meets twice a year to discuss textile standards activities. Members of the Coalition are: AAMA, AATCC, AFMA/AFiMA, AFMA/AFuMA, AWC, ASTM, ATMA, ATMI, AYSA, BIFMA, CRI, CoI, DoD, IFAI, IFI, INDA, ISPA, NADFA, NAHM, NAUMD, NCC, NIST, NKSA, NRF, SPESA, and The Wool Bureau, Inc

UFAC Upholstered Furniture Action Council. UFAC is a consensus standards developer that develops voluntary standards to assess the ignition resistance properties of materials used in upholstered furniture. The standards development work is overseen by AFMA-AFuMA.

UN/EDIFACT The International EDI Standard. Messages developed under UN/EDIFACT (United Nations Rules For Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport) are intended for both national and international EDI applications.

USTR United States Trade Representative.

VICS Voluntary Interindustry Communications Standards. VICS is a consensus standards developer that develops field data standards for electronic commerce between retailers and their suppliers. The standards development work is overseen by NRF's Quick Response Committee.

Vienna Agreement An agreement between the European Committee for Standardization and ISO. The agreement allows CEN to introduce proposed European standards into an ISO committee if no existing ISO standard exists. CEN members have 15 votes on the ISO committees.

WB The Wool Bureau, Inc. The Wool Bureau is a U.S. national trade organization for the marketing of wool products.

WD The ISO acronym for a Working Draft of a standard (the third stage in the development of an ISO standard).

WG The ISO acronym for a Working Group. It is a subgroup of an ISO Subcommittee or a special group under an ISO Technical Committee (similar to a subcommittee but is smaller is size than a subcommittee).

WTO World Trade Organization. Trade organization, based in Geneva, Switzerland, that replaced GATT on January 1, 1995.

WSSN World Standards Systems Network. WSSN is an electronic network of international standards developers that can be accessed through the world wide web. The network links all international standards developers home pages and provides a catalog of all their standards

WWW World Wide Web. Increasingly, businesses, educational institutions, media, government agencies and individuals have locations (called sites or home pages) on the section of the Internet called the World Wide Web. Many of the agencies listed in this directory have further information available at their web sites.