Down√Check is a marketplace surveillance program. DOWNMARK® purchases down and feather items from retailers – both brick and mortar locations and online marketplaces – and sends them to an independent lab for testing.

Our mandate is to assist and educate Canadian consumers in order to help recognize and buy genuine, high quality down and feather products with confidence.  As consumers can’t check the down and feather fill hidden inside a finished item, our Down√Check program helps verify what products are made of and whether the packaging claims are true.

We test products that consumers are likely to encounter. Our process involves shopping at the same retail locations and online websites where all Canadians can shop, buying the same packaged products that any consumer can purchase.

While many products pass testing, there are also many items that fail. These failed items are the ones that we want to help consumers avoid. If a product fails testing, we file information to the Competition Bureau of Canada, the enforcement agency responsible for investigating correct labelling of down and feather filled products under the Textile Labelling and Competition Act, and Deceptive Marketing under the Advertising Regulations.

This agency protects and promotes competition for the benefit of Canadian Consumers and Businesses.

Unfortunately, we can’t test or find everything and there are items we have not looked at.  The only products we can recommend are those that have gone through the DOWNMARK® certification process.