What is ISO 20743 about?
ISO 20743 discusses textiles. A textile is a flexible material made by creating an interlocking bundle of yarns or threads, which are produced by spinning raw fibres into long and twisted lengths. ISO 20743 specifies quantitative test methods to determine the antibacterial activity of all antibacterial textile products including nonwovens. ISO 20743 specifies the colony plate count method and the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) luminescence method for measuring the enumeration of bacteria.
ISO 20743 is applicable to all textile products, including cloth, wadding, thread, and material for clothing, bedclothes, home furnishings, and miscellaneous goods, regardless of the type of antibacterial agent used (organic, inorganic, natural, or synthetic) or the method of application (built-in, after-treatment or grafting).
ISO 20743 covers three inoculation methods for the determination of antibacterial activity:
- Absorption method (an evaluation method in which the test bacterial suspension is inoculated directly onto specimens)
- Transfer method (an evaluation method in which test bacteria are placed on an agar plate and transferred onto specimens)
- Printing method (an evaluation method in which test bacteria are placed on a filter and printed onto specimens)
Who is ISO 20743 for?
ISO 20743 on the determination of the antibacterial activity of textile products is useful for:
- Textile manufacturers
- Textile testing institutions
- Quality control personnels
Why should you use ISO 20743?
Textiles and clothing are in permanent contact with microorganisms from the environment and the human skin. Antimicrobial treatment of fabric has become a popular property in products like intimate's wear, home textiles, sportswear, and other outdoor products such as tents and backpacks. ISO 20743 determines the antibacterial activity of all antibacterial textile products including nonwovens.
Speciality products of antibacterial-treated textiles have been introduced in the market and are expanding year by year in various applications. These textiles meet the consumer's requirement to seek prevention of, and protection from, the negative effects caused by bacteria, which in turn secures the quality of life.
ISO 20743 helps you to increase the demand by maintaining their product quality from antibacterial activity, which will lead to an increase in the demand and goodwill of the company. Textiles and other materials may require antimicrobial or antifungal properties for their intended use or to offer additional benefits. Some examples are footwear materials that may have bacterial inhibiting properties to prevent odour. Other items, such as sportswear, may also comprise this property. These properties are conferred on the materials by technical finishes and should be tested to ensure your marketing claims meet your consumers’ expectations. Using ISO 20743 you can specify quantitative test methods to determine the antibacterial activity of all antibacterial textile products including nonwovens.
What is changed since the last update?
BS EN ISO 20743:2021 supersedes ISO 20743:2013. BS EN ISO 20743:2021 includes some technical and editorial changes with respect to ISO 20743:2013. These include:
- Normative references have been updated
- Some NOTEs have been changed to regular text
- Efficacy of antibacterial activity has been updated