Oeko-Tex

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Under the brand name Oeko-Tex , the international association for research and testing in the field of textile and leather ecology awards product labels ( textile seals ) and plant certification . Products at all processing stages along the textile value chain ( fibers , yarns , fabrics , leather , ready-made end products) are checked for harmless health and production facilities are checked for socially and environmentally compatible production conditions. Criteria and pollutant limit values ​​of the internationally uniform Oeko-Tex standards are regularly modified and expanded.

Oeko-Tex awards:

  • Product label for textile products: Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex and Made in Green by Oeko-Tex
  • Product label for leather items: Leather Standard by Oeko-Tex
  • Product label for textile chemicals: Eco-Passport by Oeko-Tex
  • Certification for production sites : SteP by Oeko-Tex
  • Test report for production sites : Detox to Zero by Oeko-Tex

The Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex (until 2016 Oeko-Tex Standard 100 ) is the most widespread label worldwide for textiles that have been tested for harmful substances.

The Oeko-Tex Association is an association of currently 18 neutral testing and research institutes in Europe and Japan. It is headquartered in Zurich ( Switzerland ) and has contact offices in over 60 countries.

history

The Oeko-Tex Association was founded in March 1992. The first members were the Austrian Textile Research Institute (today ÖTI - Institute for Ecology, Technology and Innovation ) and the German Research Institute Hohenstein . In 1993, the Swiss textile testing institute Testex joined. In the following years, further testing and research facilities from Europe and Asia were added. In 2016 the community reached its current membership of 18.

The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 label was first presented in April 1992 at the Interstoff textile fair . In 1995, the community introduced the Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 for the certification of environmentally friendly and socially responsible manufacturing companies in the textile chain. Products that met Standard 100 and that and their components were manufactured in companies certified according to Standard 1000 have been able to apply for the Oeko-Tex Standard 100plus label since then .

The revised and updated STeP by Oeko-Tex and Made in Green by Oeko-Tex certifications replaced the standards 1000 and 100plus in 2013 and 2014, respectively . The Oeko-Tex Association has been offering the Detox to Zero service since 2016 , with which companies can have their chemical management and the quality of wastewater and sewage sludge assessed. The Eco Passport label for sustainable textile chemicals has also been in existence since 2016 . With the Leather Standard by Oeko-Tex product label, the harmlessness of leather articles has been certified since 2017.

Since 2016, all Oeko-Tex labels and logos have had a different design. The text “Confidence in Textiles” now replaces the slogan “Textiles trust”, which has been used for the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 since it was founded .

Certificates

Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex

Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex logo

The Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex (formerly Oeko-Tex Standard 100 ) is a worldwide uniform system of test methods, test criteria and limit values ​​for harmful substances, according to which the Oeko-Tex test institutes certify the harmlessness of textile products. Not only consumer articles can be certified, but also intermediate products of all processing stages and accessories. Products that meet the requirements may be marked with the label “Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex - Tested for harmful substances”. The standard 100 certificate is valid for one year.

With the introduction of the standard, a globally uniform quality assurance system was established for manufacturers and retailers, which takes into account the low level of vertical integration in the individual companies in the textile and clothing industry and compensates for different regional assessment criteria for the risk potential of pollutants . The standard 100-by-Oeko-Tex certificate therefore documents compliance with human-ecological quality standards not only for the end user, but also for downstream production levels.

requirements

Textile products can only be certified according to the Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex if all of their components meet the required criteria. The scope and requirements of the pollutant tests are based on the intended use of a textile product. Accordingly, the Standard 100 differentiates between four product classes:

  • I - products for babies and toddlers (up to 36 months of age)
  • II - products with skin contact
  • III - Products with little or no skin contact
  • IV - Textile furnishing materials (e.g. curtains, tablecloths, carpets)

In product class I, stricter limit values apply to almost all potentially harmful substances , and the products are also tested for saliva resistance.

Test criteria

The methods, criteria and pollutant limit values ​​of the Standard 100 are binding worldwide and are modified and expanded every year. Textile products are tested for their content of several hundred regulated individual substances from 17 pollutant classes. The standard takes into account

  1. legally forbidden or regulated substances such as prohibited azo colorants, formaldehyde, pentachlorophenol, cadmium or nickel
  2. Requirements of Annexes XVII and XIV of the European Chemicals Ordinance REACh as well as the ECHA SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern ) candidate list, insofar as they are relevant for textile materials, clothing or accessories according to the assessment of expert groups of the Oeko-Tex Association
  3. Requirements of the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) to lead.
  4. substances known to be hazardous to health or environmentally relevant, but which have not yet been explicitly recorded by law

In addition, all tested materials and products must have a skin-friendly pH value and good color fastness. They are also tested for the emission of volatile chemicals and subjected to an odor test.

Distribution and awareness

The Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex is the product label for textiles that have been tested for harmful substances and is widely used worldwide. Over 10,000 manufacturers in almost 100 countries are currently participating in this Oeko-Tex certification. To date, the Oeko-Tex Association has issued over 160,000 Standard 100 certificates for textile products at all processing stages (status 04/2017).

In Germany, the label "Confidence in Textiles - Oeko-Tex Standard 100" had an aided awareness of more than 46% according to a consumer survey by GfK in 2006 . A consumer survey by BBE Retail Experts in seven European countries (Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands) from 2008 attests that the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 label has an average awareness of 42%. In a survey of 3349 people in 13 countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Great Britain, Denmark, Poland, Russia, Turkey, China) in 2012, the Cologne Institute for Trade Research also determined an aided awareness of an average of 42 % of respondents.

STeP by Oeko-Tex

Logo from STeP by Oeko-Tex

STeP ( English Sustainable Textile Production 'sustainable textile production') is a certification system with globally binding criteria that certifies companies with sustainable production conditions. STeP replaces the previous Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 . In addition to environmental compatibility and the efficient use of resources, compliance with socially acceptable working conditions is also taken into account. The STeP certificate is valid for three years.

STeP describes itself as 100% transparent, as all criteria and evaluation methods are publicly available. The certified company can grant its customers in the textile supply chain access to its information via the central MySTeP database from Oeko-Tex. This makes STeP a tool to make the sustainability of textile companies comparable across national borders, even in view of the different legal requirements in the individual countries.

requirements

The STeP certification can be awarded to production companies at all processing stages in the textile chain. Fiber manufacturers, spinning mills, weaving mills and knitting mills, processing companies and assemblers as well as companies that manufacture accessories, producers of foam and mattresses and textile logistics centers can apply. For certification, companies must provide information on their production conditions. There are so-called entry questions, of which at least 70% must be answered in order to initiate the certification process, as well as further questions, by answering which companies can document their additional efforts to achieve sustainability and social compatibility. The information is verified as part of an audit in the company and evaluated in the form of a three-stage scoring system. It means:

  • Level 1 - 70% of the entry questions
  • Level 2 - Good implementation with further optimization potential
  • Level 3 - Exemplary implementation in terms of best practice examples

Test criteria

The modules are evaluated - each with detailed performance criteria

  • Chemicals and their uses
  • Environmental performance
  • Environmental management
  • Social responsibility
  • Quality management
  • Health and safety at work

In the individual modules there are criteria, non-compliance with which precludes the issuing of the STeP certificate from the outset. For example, non-compliance with the STeP standards for the use of chemicals, wastewater and emissions, child labor or the prohibition of unionization among employees lead to exclusion. The results of the six modules appear individually on the STeP certificate and are weighted equally in the final result of the assessment.

Made in Green by Oeko-Tex

Made in Green by Oeko-Tex logo

Made in Green is a product label for all types of textiles that have been tested for harmful substances and are produced in a sustainable and socially responsible manner in accordance with the Oeko-Tex guidelines. Made in Green replaces the previous Oeko-Tex Standard 100plus label and is awarded for one year.

The label is issued for textiles that have been tested and certified for harmful substances in accordance with Standard 100 and are produced in environmentally friendly and socially responsible companies. Specifically, it is assumed that all companies in which the packaging or wet-chemical treatment of the article takes place are certified according to the STeP standard. Regarding the origin of the materials used, at least 85% of the total weight of the article must come from STeP -certified production facilities. In particular, this is required for each individual component that makes up at least 5% of the total weight of the product. The sewing thread used for an article does not necessarily have to come from a STeP -certified facility due to its low weight, for example , but must nonetheless meet the requirements of Standard 100 for health safety.

Textile products with the Made-in-Green label can be traced back to consumers using a unique product ID or a QR code on the label. By entering the product ID on the Made-in-Green website or by scanning the QR code on the label, it is possible to see which different stages of production were involved in the manufacture of the advertised item and in which countries the textiles were produced. Depending on the data release by the companies involved, it can also be seen in which specific companies the production took place.

Leather Standard by Oeko-Tex

Logo of the Leather Standard by Oeko-Tex

The Leather Standard by Oeko-Tex is a globally uniform system of test methods, test criteria and limit values ​​for harmful substances, according to which the Oeko-Tex test institutes certify the harmlessness of leather and leather articles at all stages of production. Semi-finished leather products (such as "Wet Blue" - chrome-tanned, undyed leather), finished leather, leather fiber materials and ready-made articles can be certified. For the certification of leather articles with textile, metallic or other non-leather components, the requirements of the Leather Standard are combined with those of Standard 100 . The Leather Standard certification is valid for one year.

The Leather Standard distinguishes the same four product classes as the Standard 100 . The catalog of limit values ​​for potentially harmful substances on which the Leather Standard is based is also very similar to that of Standard 100 . In particular, the limit values ​​for chromium have been adapted; Due to the manufacturing process - the majority of industrially manufactured leather is now chrome-tanned - higher values ​​are tolerated here.

Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex

Logo of the Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex

The Eco Passport certificate certifies that suppliers of chemicals for the textile industry (such as dyes, brighteners , anti-static agents, adhesives, cleaning agents, etc.) meet the requirements of sustainable textile production.

The two-stage verification and certification process includes

  1. a comparison of the ingredients of the product with the SVHC list of the European Chemicals Ordinance REACh as well as with the inventories of substances with restricted use in textile products and production processes (Restricted Substance List RSL , Manufacturing Restricted Substance List, which are included in the Eco Passport standard and created by Oeko-Tex) MRSL).
  2. an analytical test of representative samples of the product in the laboratory of a member institute of the Oeko-Tex Association for compliance with the threshold values ​​set by Oeko-Tex for substances with restricted use

The Eco-Passport certificate is valid for one year.

Issuing of certificates, control

For the Oeko-Tex certification of a product, manufacturers submit representative test samples of all raw materials used in production (including accessories such as buttons, zippers, sewing thread, labels and prints ) for examination at one of the Oeko-Tex test laboratories. After a successful laboratory test of the submitted sample materials and signing a declaration of conformity , the manufacturer receives the Oeko-Tex certificate for his product . An on- site operational audit is also part of the certification process .

In order to ensure continuous compliance with the standards, Oeko-Tex carries out annual control tests on at least 20% of all certificates issued. For this purpose, unannounced audits are carried out and labeled articles and sample materials purchased from the shops are checked at random.

For the certification of production sites, Oeko-Tex collects data from the companies using a web-based assessment tool and checks the information in a subsequent audit of the production site. With certificate holders, Oeko-Tex controls the ongoing compliance with the required criteria through announced and unannounced audits.

The extension of the certificates after the expiry of the validity requires a renewed examination and continued conformity with possibly changed or updated requirements.

further services

Detox to Zero by Oeko-Tex

Detox to Zero by Oeko-Tex logo

Detox to Zero is a facility assessment program that textile companies can use to have Greenpeace assess their efforts to achieve the goals of the Detox campaign . The detox-to-zero assessment focuses on transparent and professional chemicals management, the reduction or elimination of hazardous substances in the production process, and the quality of wastewater and sewage sludge . It is designed for companies in which textiles and their predecessor products are manufactured, dyed, printed, coated or otherwise treated with the aid of chemicals, as well as companies that manufacture accessories for textiles (buttons, zippers, labels, etc.).

Oeko-Tex has compiled its own MRSL (Manufacturing Restricted Substances List) directory for Detox to Zero , which contains limit values ​​for the content of numerous substances from the eleven substance classes that the Greenpeace campaign focuses on for wastewater and sewage sludge.

Similar to the STeP certificate, participating companies initially use a web-based assessment tool. Requests are made for a complete chemical inventory, information on chemical and environmental management, emergency plans for chemical accidents, documents that prove that the employees have completed occupational safety training, necessary permits / licenses for emissions , discharge / discharge of waste water, use of water and sewage treatment plants, use / storage hazardous substances as well as analysis results from an accredited test laboratory for wastewater and sewage sludge. This information is assessed by Oeko-Tex and verified in a company audit.

In contrast to the STeP certificate, there are no exclusion criteria and no failure of the certification process. The companies participating in the Detox-to-Zero program receive an annual status report that describes the extent to which the Detox requirements have already been met and gives recommendations for improvements.

MySTeP by Oeko-Tex

MySTeP by Oeko-Tex logo

MySTeP by Oeko-Tex is the central database of Oeko-Tex, in which registered textile manufacturers, brand owners and retailers can manage and optimize their supply chain with regard to sustainability regardless of their own Oeko-Tex certification.

In MySTeP, supplier companies can release information about their production sites, products and Oeko-Tex certifications to different degrees for viewing. Database users can accordingly

  1. map and analyze their supply chain
  2. Calculate the sustainability performance of your supply chain and compare it with average values
  3. Compare and select suppliers
  4. manage your own Oeko-Tex certificates
  5. Account for their own sustainability performance and that of their supply chain

The use of the MySTeP database is compulsory for issuing Made-in-Green product labels .

criticism

The German Association of Critical Consumers classifies most of the common quality seals and places them on a four-point scale. On this scale, the Oeko-Tex standards receive an overall rating of “recommended”, which corresponds to the second-best rating. The main points of criticism here are seen primarily in the lack of independence of the Oeko-Tex labels: The manufacturers of the products and the testing and certification bodies are not sufficiently separated from one another legally and economically.

In its textile guide, Greenpeace points out that the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 covers many important potential pollutants, but that other quality seals are more recommendable due to significantly stricter award criteria and processes.

It is also criticized that the label could possibly arouse false suggestions in terms of design and effect on the consumer: “eco” could also be understood as “organic farming without the use of pesticides, for example, no genetic manipulation, so-called 'organic cotton', fair working conditions with producers and manufacturers, no child labor and much more. ”This is countered by the fact that the label explicitly explains what exactly it certifies (“ tested for harmful substances ”). In addition, all relevant information about the certification principles is publicly available.

literature

  • Andreas Kaiser: Ecology-related product labeling. Origin, background, requirements. Shown on the trademark "Confidence in textiles - textiles tested for harmful substances according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100" as an environmentally-related information tool. Dissertation, Kassel 1996

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Oeko-Tex® expands and modernizes its brand identity. Press release. Oeko-Tex Association, October 26, 2016, accessed December 16, 2017 .
  2. ↑ W. Conrad, D. Scheer: Limits and possibilities of consumer information through product labeling . Ed .: A. Epp, S. Kurzenhäuser, R. Hertel, G.-F. Böl (=  BfR Science ). Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin 2010, ISBN 3-938163-48-8 ( [1] [PDF]).
  3. ↑ Oeko-Tex® test institutes. Retrieved December 16, 2017 .
  4. ↑ ÖTI Institute for Ecology, Technology and Innovation. Baunetz Wissen, accessed on November 24, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Oeko-Tex® awards new certification for leather goods that have been tested for harmful substances. Press release. Oeko-Tex Association, December 16, 2016, accessed November 24, 2017 .
  6. ↑ 25 years of Oeko-Tex®. Oeko-Tex Association, 2017, accessed November 24, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Sustainable Textile Production - STeP. Press release. Oeko-Tex Association, July 1, 2013, accessed November 24, 2017 .
  8. ↑ "Made in Green by Oeko-Tex®" - New product label for harmless and sustainably produced textiles. Press release. Oeko-Tex Association, October 2, 2014, accessed November 24, 2017 .
  9. ↑ Detox to zero by Oeko-Tex®- New tool supports producers in meeting the Detox goals. Press release. Oeko-Tex Association, October 10, 2016, accessed November 24, 2017 .
  10. ↑ Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex® certification for sustainable textile chemicals. Press release. Oeko-Tex Association, January 29, 2016, accessed November 24, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Leather Standard by Oeko-Tex®: First certificates issued. Press release. Oeko-Tex Association, March 28, 2017, accessed November 24, 2017 .
  12. ↑ a b Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex®. (PDF) General and special conditions for granting authorization for Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex® labeling. Oeko-Tex Association, 2017, accessed November 22, 2017 .
  13. ↑ Test methods Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex®. (PDF) Oeko-Tex Association, 2016, accessed on December 9, 2017 .
  14. ↑ Limit values ​​and fastness properties. Oeko-Tex Association, accessed December 9, 2017 .
  15. ↑ Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex®. Criteria. Oeko-Tex Association, accessed December 9, 2017 .
  16. ↑ 25 years of Oeko-Tex® - 25 years of Confidence in Textiles. Press release. Oeko-Tex Association, April 4, 2017, accessed December 9, 2017 .
  17. ↑ Surveys on awareness of the Oeko-Tex® Standard 100th Oeko-Tex Association, accessed on December 9, 2017 .
  18. ↑ STeP by Oeko-Tex®. More information on STeP certification. Oeko-Tex Association, accessed December 2, 2017 .
  19. ↑ Questions & Answers - What are the advantages of STeP compared to other certifications of sustainable production conditions? (PDF) Oeko-Tex Association, accessed on December 2, 2017 .
  20. ↑ MySTeP by Oeko-Tex®. Oeko-Tex Association, accessed December 2, 2017 .
  21. ↑ a b Standard STeP by Oeko-Tex®. (PDF) Oeko-Tex Association, 2017, accessed on December 2, 2017 .
  22. ↑ Made In Green by Oeko-Tex®. Oeko-Tex Association, accessed November 22, 2017 .
  23. ↑ Standard Made in Green by Oeko-Tex®. (PDF) Oeko-Tex Association, 2017, accessed on November 22, 2017 .
  24. ↑ a b Leather Standard by Oeko-Tex®. Oeko-Tex Association, accessed December 1, 2017 .
  25. ↑ Leather Standard by Ooeko-Tex®. (PDF) General and special conditions for issuing authorization for Leather Standard by Oeko-Tex® labeling. Oeko-Tex Association, 2017, accessed December 1, 2017 .
  26. ↑ Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex®. Oeko-Tex Association, accessed November 22, 2017 .
  27. ↑ Standard Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex®. (PDF) Oeko-Tex Association, 2016, accessed on November 22, 2017 .
  28. ↑ Quality management. Oeko-Tex Association, accessed December 9, 2017 .
  29. ↑ STeP by Oeko-Tex®. More information on STeP certification. Oeko-Tex Association, accessed December 9, 2017 .
  30. ^ Chemistry in Textiles - Time to Detoxify. Greenpeace, accessed December 8, 2017 .
  31. ↑ Detox To Zero by Oeko-Tex®. Oeko-Tex Association, accessed December 8, 2017 .
  32. ↑ a b c Guideline Detox To Zero by Oeko-Tex®. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Oeko-Tex Association, 2017, formerly in the original ; accessed on December 8, 2017 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.oekotex.com  
  33. ↑ MySTeP by Oeko-Tex®. Oeko-Tex Association, accessed December 8, 2017 .
  34. ↑ Questions & Answers. (PDF) MySTeP by Oeko-Tex®. Oeko-Tex Association, accessed December 8, 2017 .
  35. ↑ http://label-online.de/unsere-evaluation/ .
  36. ↑ a b http://label-online.de/label/oeko-texR-standard-100/ .
  37. ↑ http://www.greenpeace.de/themen/endlager-umwelt/textilindustrie/klarheit-im-textil-dschungel
  38. ↑ http://www.allnatura.de/ratgeber/klartext/allnatura-klartext-oktober-2010-oeko-tex-standard-100.html .
  39. ↑ Utopia.de: Oeko-Tex Standard 100: Criteria, controls and criticism. December 27, 2018, accessed on December 28, 2018 (German).