CANADIAN FABRICARE ASSOCIATION

What CANADIAN FABRICARE ASSOCIATION does

The Canadian Fabricare Association (CFA) is a Canadian not-for-profit trade association representing professional dry cleaners, wet cleaners, laundry professionals, and allied trade suppliers (manufacturers and distributors of goods and services used by the cleaning industry). Founded in 1949 as the Dry Cleaners & Launderers Institute of Ontario (DCLIO), the association was renamed the Ontario Fabricare Association and then rebranded to its current name in 2018 to reflect its expanded national mandate. Headquartered in Thornhill, Ontario, CFA is governed by a member-elected board and led by Executive Director Sidney Chelsky.

CFA's core product is a two-tier membership program: a Standard Trade Membership ($575 + tax annually) for cleaning service providers, which includes free Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI) membership valued at over US$499, voting rights, and access to allied trade discounts; and an Allied Trade Membership for suppliers, which excludes DLI membership and voting privileges. The association operates an online membership portal, a CFA Store for online payments, a member location finder map, monthly newsletters, and consumer education resources on care labelling. It runs annual events including CleanExpo24 (November 2024) and regional Clean Talk & Social gatherings, with bilingual English/French service offerings.

Revenue derives from recurring annual membership subscriptions and event registration fees. Strategic partner relationships with DLI, Seneca College (environmental certification), CFIB, Extox Industries, NEBS/Deluxe, Loopstra Nixon LLP, and the US-based Neighborhood Cleaners Association expand the member value proposition through bundled benefits, regulatory advocacy, and cost savings programs. Revenue and member counts are not publicly disclosed.

Name

CANADIAN FABRICARE ASSOCIATION

Legal name

Canadian Fabricare Association

Website

https://fabricare.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Canadian Fabricare Association is a not-for-profit trade association representing professional dry cleaners, wet cleaners, laundry operators, and allied suppliers across Canada, offering membership subscriptions, regulatory advocacy, environmental certification, events like CleanExpo, and bundled partner benefits including DLI membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Thornhill

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Annual Standard Membership: Annual membership fees for professional cleaning organizations providing services to the public and/or commercial enterprises (hotels, hospitals, restaurants). Includes free DLI membership valued at more than US$499.
2. Annual Allied Trade Membership: Annual membership fees for organizations involved in manufacturing and distribution of goods and services used by professional cleaners. Includes full membership benefits but no voting privileges.
3. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from industry events such as CleanExpo24 and regional Clean Talk & Social gatherings.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Canadian Fabricare Association (CFA) is a not-for-profit trade association that sells annual memberships to professional dry cleaners, wet cleaners, laundry professionals, and allied trade businesses across Canada. Its core offering includes regulatory representation, environmental certification, networking events (CleanExpo), free DLI (Drycleaning & Laundry Institute) membership for standard members, member discount programs, training, and consumer education on fabric care.

Product overview

Canadian Fabricare Association offers a membership-based service structure centered on two primary membership tiers: Standard Trade Membership for professional cleaning service providers and Allied Trade Membership for manufacturers and distributors serving the industry. Both membership levels include access to educational resources, industry representation, networking events, and cost savings programs. The association organizes annual events such as CleanExpo24 and provides a member-only portal with exclusive content. Additional services include care labelling program resources, newsletter communications, and online tools for membership management and event registration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CFA Standard Trade Membership Annual membership for organizations providing professional cleaning services to the public and/or commercial enterprises. Includes free DLI membership (valued at more than US$499), voting rights, regulatory representation, environmental certification support, cost savings programs, and training.
• CFA Allied Trade Membership Annual membership for organizations involved in manufacturing and distribution of goods and services used by professional cleaners. Provides full membership benefits but excludes DLI membership and voting privileges.
• CleanExpo24 Annual trade expo event bringing together industry exhibitors and professionals to showcase products and services for the dry cleaning and wet cleaning industry in Canada.
• CFA Member Only Portal Members-only section of the CFA website providing access to privileged information, account updates, member-exclusive content, and online services for membership management and event registration.
• Care Labelling Program Resources Educational resources and guides for consumers and members, including the Canadian Guide to Apparel and Textile Care Symbols, PDF downloads, and information about Canada's voluntary care labelling program.

Quantifiable outcome

• DLI membership provides more than US$499 value annually to standard members
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDLI provides free membership to CFA standard members (valued at more than US$499). CFA members receive technical assistance, bulletins, information, and access to DLI services. The partnership provides unequaled knowledge and problem-solving techniques through combined relationships.
• Seneca CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeneca College provides environmental certification for CFA members. Members must maintain their environmental certification from Seneca College to receive Extox Industries discount benefits.
• Extox IndustriesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExtox Industries is a distributor of solvents and licensed carrier of disposable chemical waste. They offer CFA members a 5% discount, provided each cleaning plant maintains CFA membership and environmental certification from Seneca College.
• NEBS / Deluxe Perfect PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNEBS / Deluxe Perfect Partners offers CFA members a 15% discount on purchases through this partnership program.
• Policaro Automotive Group of CompaniesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Policaro Automotive Group of Companies offers preferred pricing to CFA members for new car or truck purchases or leases for their brands. Contact [email protected].
• CFIB (Canadian Federation of Independent Business)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFIB offers free membership to CFA members. CFIB advocates to government on behalf of CFA, provides free HR material for member companies, and offers membership discounts across Canada.
• Loopstra Nixon LLPminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCorporate lawyer Jordan Cohen of Loopstra Nixon LLP provides free consultation services to CFA members.
• Neighborhood Cleaners Association (USA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFA maintains close ties with the Neighborhood Cleaners Association in the USA, sharing knowledge and best practices across national borders.
• Provincial AssociationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFA maintains close ties with provincial associations across Canada. The combined relationship provides unequaled knowledge and problem-solving techniques not readily available on an individual basis.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• British Cleaning Council: UK umbrella body for the cleaning and hygiene industry. Comparable role to CFA as an industry-wide membership organization, though broader in scope (includes commercial cleaning, hygiene, and laundry); useful UK/European analog for benchmarking CFA's national association model.
• European Cleaning & Facility Services Industry (EFCI): European federation of national cleaning industry associations. Comparable to a continental aggregation of CFA-equivalent bodies; useful for understanding how CFA could evolve into a multi-country governance model if it expands beyond Canada.

Direct peers

• Neighborhood Cleaners Association (NCA): US-based association for neighborhood dry cleaners, focused on independent operators. CFA maintains formal ties with NCA per its published partnerships and operates a directly comparable member services model (advocacy, training, supplier discounts).
• Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA): US-based association representing companies that supply products and services to the dry cleaning and laundry industry. Directly analogous to CFA's Allied Trade membership tier, serving the same supplier/distributor ecosystem.
• Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI): US-based trade association serving the dry cleaning and laundry industry. DLI is CFA's closest peer and formal partner; it provides the bundled membership benefit (>US$499 value) that anchors CFA's standard member offering, and serves a similar member base of professional cleaners.

Broad incumbents

• American Cleaning Institute: US-based trade association representing the cleaning products industry (detergents, soaps, and household cleaners). Broader and more upstream than CFA — relevant for benchmarking association scale, supplier relations, and sustainability advocacy in adjacent cleaning categories.

Emerging players

• Coin Laundry Association: US-based association serving self-service laundry operators and laundromat owners. Adjacent to CFA's dry cleaning constituency but addresses a different (self-service) segment of the broader fabricare value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canadian-fabricare-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CANADIAN FABRICARE ASSOCIATION