SDC Colour Accreditation Scheme
In the 21st century, colour is everywhere. Brands use it as a vehicle for selling product or as fashion themes 'of the moment', supporting sporting events such as the football World Cup or the Olympics. Fashion it is ever more fickle and transient. Demands for 'the colour' usually involve 2-3 garments (or more) in a range of different fibres and styles which must match, or blend well within narrow tolerances of acceptability, are increasing.
At the other end of the scale we have corporate uniforms or core fashion in classic shades which may run for several seasons and still need to match over a number of production runs.
In such a diverse and rapidly changing world, reliable electronic communication of colour is essential. With SDC CAS, this is achievable.
Add to this designers and buyers desire to buy the same colour at different locations around the world for local supply and speed to market while still supporting their Brand image and we have hugely complex targets.
The Society of Dyers and Colourists’ Colour Accreditation Scheme for Textiles, SDC CAS, is an international proficiency scheme ensuring global assessment and communication between and across all involved in the supply chain. It is recognised by leading UK and international retailers and brands as a cornerstone of their quality system and brand image.
SDC CAS is a tool to give the confidence to accept results electronically without additional physical inspection eliminating weeks from lead times and avoiding over-dyeing and enabling confidence in dyers' colour matching capability. The scheme eliminates duplication of expertise and effort between different parties in the supply chain; the dyer to garment maker to retailer, saving money, time and resource.
SDC CAS is operated by BV Technicare CPS who are already experience in laboratory training and accreditation audits, with the accreditation itself carried out by named experts on behalf of SDC CAS.
The SDC jointly holds the International Standards secretariat for colour fastness and colour measurement and has coordinated the UK's national committee on behalf of the British Standards Institution for 80 years. Unlike many organisations offering colour accreditation, the SDC has no commercial bias towards any branded product: it prides itself on its total impartiality.
For more information on SDC CAS contact the Society or download the SDC CAS brochure. In addition the SDC CAS website is currently being developed and it is hoped that the first section − 'how to apply' − should be online by the summer of 2007 with the rest of the site content following soon after. (Note: the links on the SDC CAS home page are currently deactivated until further content has been added).