Polartec.com Accessibility Conformance Report
WCAG Edition — based on VPAT® 2.4 · Target: WCAG 2.1 Level AA
Last reviewed: June 25, 2026
At Polartec (www.polartec.com), we are dedicated to providing a digitally accessible experience for all users, including people with disabilities. We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA and to follow best practices that improve usability for everyone.
Website
Report date
June 25, 2026
Website description
Polartec.com is the official website for Polartec, showcasing innovative fabric technologies, sustainability initiatives, and partner resources. It provides information on products, services, and tools to support partners and customers globally.
Contact
For questions about this report or to report an accessibility barrier, email [email protected] or use the feedback form at the bottom of this page.
Conformance status
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. They define three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA.
Polartec.com is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. “Partially conformant” means that some parts of the content do not fully conform to the accessibility standard. The conformance tables below record, for each success criterion, whether the site Supports, Partially Supports, or Does Not Support it, along with the remediation in progress.
Our commitment to accessibility
To support accessibility on Polartec.com, we:
- Integrate accessibility into our design and development processes.
- Provide ongoing accessibility training for our development team.
- Regularly audit the website to identify and address accessibility barriers.
- Encourage and incorporate feedback from users with disabilities.
- Respond promptly to accessibility concerns and suggestions.
Notes & scope of evaluation
This report is based on an audit of representative, high-traffic pages and shared interface components rather than every page on the site. Where an issue affects a success criterion, the remarks describe the extent and any known workarounds. The following areas were evaluated:
- Homepage and shared site chrome (header, primary navigation, mobile menu, footer)
- Interior content pages and the content builder components
- Login and registration
- The Training Center course experience
- Contact form
Single-page application areas (the product marketplace, news, and partner portal) and one-off campaign pages were not fully evaluated in this cycle and are noted as such below.
Evaluation methods
The evaluation combined automated and manual testing:
- Automated testing with axe DevTools, Lighthouse, and WAVE.
- Manual keyboard-only testing.
- Manual screen-reader testing with NVDA (Firefox), JAWS (Chrome), and VoiceOver (Safari).
- Code-level review of templates, styles, and interactive components.
Assessment approach
Polartec assessed the accessibility of Polartec.com by self-evaluation, carried out by its development team using the automated and manual methods described above. Findings are tracked in an internal remediation backlog and addressed on an ongoing basis as part of regular development.
Compatibility with browsers and assistive technology
Polartec.com is designed to be compatible with recent versions of the following:
- NVDA with Firefox
- JAWS with Chrome
- VoiceOver with Safari (macOS and iOS)
- Current releases of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
- Browser zoom up to 200%, and operating-system text-size and reduced-motion settings
The site may not work optimally with older browsers or assistive technologies.
Technical specifications
Accessibility of Polartec.com relies on the following technologies to work with your browser and any assistive technologies installed:
- HTML
- WAI-ARIA
- CSS
- JavaScript
These technologies are relied upon for conformance. Some interactive features — such as site search, the navigation menus, and the Training Center course experience — require JavaScript to be enabled.
Applicable standards
| Standard / guideline | Included in report |
|---|---|
| WCAG 2.0 | Level A (Yes), Level AA (Yes), Level AAA (No) |
| WCAG 2.1 | Level A (Yes), Level AA (Yes), Level AAA (No) |
| WCAG 2.2 | Not included in this report |
Terms
Conformance levels in this report use the following terms:
- Supports
- The functionality meets the criterion without known defects across the evaluated areas.
- Partially Supports
- Some functionality meets the criterion, but known defects remain in some areas.
- Does Not Support
- The majority of the evaluated functionality does not meet the criterion.
- Not Applicable
- The criterion does not apply to content present on the website.
- Not Evaluated
- The criterion was not assessed in this audit cycle and no conformance claim is made.
Conformance report
Principle 1 — Perceivable
| Success criterion | Level | Conformance | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1.1 Non-text Content | A | Partially Supports | Meaningful and decorative images are handled in shared components, but image alt text is not yet authored consistently across all content, and the marketplace/news apps were not fully evaluated. |
| 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) | A | Not Applicable | No audio-only or video-only prerecorded media is published on the site. |
| 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) | A | Does Not Support | Prerecorded videos do not currently include synchronized captions. The video player supports a captions track; caption files need to be authored. |
| 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) | A | Partially Supports | Where prerecorded video conveys information visually, audio description or a text alternative is not consistently provided. |
| 1.2.4 Captions (Live) | AA | Not Applicable | The site does not publish live video content. |
| 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) | AA | Partially Supports | Audio descriptions are not provided for prerecorded video that conveys information visually. |
| 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | A | Supports | Structure is conveyed programmatically using semantic HTML, landmarks, and ARIA where appropriate. |
| 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence | A | Supports | Content is presented in a logical reading and DOM order. |
| 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics | A | Supports | Instructions do not rely solely on shape, size, location, or sound. |
| 1.3.4 Orientation | AA | Supports | Content is operable in both portrait and landscape orientations. |
| 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose | AA | Partially Supports | Common inputs on key forms use appropriate autocomplete attributes; this is not yet verified across all forms. |
| 1.4.1 Use of Color | A | Supports | Color is not used as the only means of conveying information in evaluated components. |
| 1.4.2 Audio Control | A | Not Applicable | No audio plays automatically for more than three seconds. |
| 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) | AA | Partially Supports | Body text and small secondary text meet the minimum contrast ratio. White navigation text over the brightest hero images can fall below 4.5:1; improving the navigation scrim/treatment in those cases is in progress. |
| 1.4.4 Resize Text | AA | Supports | Content remains readable and functional when text is resized up to 200%. |
| 1.4.5 Images of Text | AA | Supports | Real text is used in place of images of text except where essential (e.g. logos). |
| 1.4.10 Reflow | AA | Supports | Content reflows to a single column at 320px width without loss of information or horizontal scrolling. |
| 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast | AA | Partially Supports | Focus indicators and most UI components meet non-text contrast; some component states are still being measured. |
| 1.4.12 Text Spacing | AA | Supports | Content adapts to user-overridden text spacing without loss of content or function. |
| 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus | AA | Partially Supports | Hover/focus content such as the navigation menus is generally dismissible and persistent; this is not yet verified for every component. |
Principle 2 — Operable
| Success criterion | Level | Conformance | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1.1 Keyboard | A | Supports | Interactive components are keyboard-operable, including the mobile menu, cookie settings, FAQ accordions, and the account menu (a keyboard disclosure). The desktop fabric mega-menu opens on hover; the same destinations are reachable by keyboard via the navigation landing pages and the mobile menu. |
| 2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap | A | Supports | Keyboard focus can move away from all evaluated components. |
| 2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts | A | Not Applicable | No single-character key shortcuts are implemented. |
| 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable | A | Not Applicable | No content imposes time limits on the user. |
| 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide | A | Supports | Auto-advancing carousels provide a keyboard-operable Pause/Play control and do not autoplay when reduced motion is requested. |
| 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold | A | Supports | No content flashes more than three times per second. |
| 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks | A | Supports | A “skip to main content” link and a main landmark allow repeated content to be bypassed. |
| 2.4.2 Page Titled | A | Supports | Pages have descriptive, unique titles. |
| 2.4.3 Focus Order | A | Partially Supports | Focus order is logical across evaluated pages; some scripted menus are still being verified. |
| 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) | A | Supports | Link purpose is clear from the link text or its context. |
| 2.4.5 Multiple Ways | AA | Supports | Pages can be located in more than one way (navigation and site search). |
| 2.4.6 Headings and Labels | AA | Supports | Headings and labels are descriptive. |
| 2.4.7 Focus Visible | AA | Supports | A consistent, visible focus indicator is provided for interactive elements site-wide. |
| 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures | A | Supports | Functionality does not require multipoint or path-based gestures. |
| 2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation | A | Supports | Pointer actions can be aborted or undone. |
| 2.5.3 Label in Name | A | Partially Supports | Most controls’ accessible names contain their visible label; a few icon controls are still being reconciled. |
| 2.5.4 Motion Actuation | A | Not Applicable | No functionality is operated by device or user motion. |
Principle 3 — Understandable
| Success criterion | Level | Conformance | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1.1 Language of Page | A | Supports | The page language is declared on the html element. |
| 3.1.2 Language of Parts | AA | Partially Supports | Most content is in a single language; inline language changes are not consistently marked up. |
| 3.2.1 On Focus | A | Supports | Moving focus does not trigger an unexpected change of context. |
| 3.2.2 On Input | A | Supports | Changing a setting does not trigger an unexpected change of context. |
| 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation | AA | Supports | Navigation appears in a consistent order across pages. |
| 3.2.4 Consistent Identification | AA | Supports | Components with the same function are identified consistently. |
| 3.3.1 Error Identification | A | Supports | Form errors are identified in all forms. |
| 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions | A | Supports | Inputs have visible labels or instructions. |
| 3.3.3 Error Suggestion | AA | Supports | Error suggestions are provided in all forms. |
| 3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data) | AA | Not Applicable | The site does not process legal, financial, or comparable user-data transactions. |
Principle 4 — Robust
| Success criterion | Level | Conformance | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1.1 Parsing | A | Partially Supports | Markup is generally well-formed, but some inline SVG assets repeat internal IDs across the page. This does not affect assistive technology in practice. (Obsolete in WCAG 2.2.) |
| 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | A | Supports | Interactive components expose an appropriate name, role, and state — the account menu and accordions report their expanded state, search result regions are labelled, and form controls have accessible names. |
| 4.1.3 Status Messages | AA | Partially Supports | Status messages are announced in the Training Center; site-wide coverage is not yet verified. |
Known limitations
| Limitation | Description | How we address it |
|---|---|---|
| User-generated content | Some uploaded images may lack text alternatives. | We monitor for and add missing alternative text within 10 business days. Please report issues to [email protected]. |
| Single-page applications | The product marketplace and news apps have now been evaluated; the partner portal app was not assessed this cycle. | The partner portal is scheduled for a dedicated audit and will be reflected in a future revision of this report. |
| Video captions | Prerecorded videos do not yet include captions. | The player supports captions; we are producing caption files for published videos. |
| Navigation over imagery | White navigation text can have low contrast over the brightest hero images. | We are strengthening the navigation background treatment so text stays legible over any hero image. |
| Heading order in navigation | Category labels in the desktop fabric mega-menu use heading tags, which can affect the heading outline on some pages. | Scheduled to be changed to non-heading labels in an upcoming release. |
Send us feedback
If you encounter an accessibility barrier or have a suggestion, email [email protected] or use the form below. Your feedback helps us create a more inclusive experience.
About this statement
This statement was prepared by the Polartec digital team and last reviewed on June 25, 2026. We review it after each major release and accessibility audit, and update the conformance records as issues are resolved.
If you contact us about an accessibility barrier and are not satisfied with our response, please let us know so we can escalate it internally and improve our process.