International Down and Feather Bureau (IDFB)
Based in Bregenz, Austria, the International Down and Feather Bureau (IDFB) is “the global association of the down and feather industry.” As such, it promotes the use of down and feathers in home products (bedding), apparel, and sporting gear.
IDFB is a second-party agency, policing the trade for quality and responsibility. Besides benefiting consumers, it also keeps this material desirable by the public. To this point, the IDFB has issues a 20-page white paper, “The Sustainable and Humane Practices of the Down and Feather Industry.”
The International Down and Feather Bureau assists its members in finding reliable third-party testing laboratories for certification of their down and feathers and products made from them. To date, this includes 26 laboratories in 11 countries (14 of them in China). IDFB requires testing laboratories to be certified with trial tests and to be re-certified regularly.
Purpose
Provide a Worldwide Association for the Down/ Feather Industry, Down /Feather Trade and Testing Institutes for Down/Feather as filling material.
Goals
- Provide safety to the consumers with clear, simple and easily understandable definitions.
- Develop and promote International Standards for down/feather fillings. (IDFB Standards contain definitions and testing regulations.)
- Annual re-assessment of approved Testing Institutes to guarantee the maintenance of International Standards.
- Provide assurance: Annual check-up of the approved Testing Institutes. That guarantees worldwide the same testing methods.
- Annual round robin assessment of independent testing institutes and other participating laboratories guarantee worldwide maintenance of international test and quality standards.
Membership
International Down and Feather Bureau has two levels of membership, Members and Associate Members. Each is composed of three kinds of organizations:
- National Associations of the Down and Feather Industry and Trade
- Individual companies from countries with no National Organization
- Testing Institutes for Down and Feather Products
Among the Members is the American Down and Feather Council, and among the Associate Members are Intertek Testing Services, Hohenstein Textile Testing Institute (a founding company of OEKO-TEX), and IDFL Laboratory and Institute.
Many producers of down and feathers and of down-and-feather products are members of the International Down and Feather Bureau or one of its member organizations.
