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Many brands and retailers use Restricted Substance Lists(RSLs) to ensure the safety of their textile supply chain, as discussed in thefeature in the June 2009 AATCC Review. But sometimes, especially inproduct categories like children-wear, brands want to offer their consumers athird-party guarantee of safety.


Some groups have arisen, both independently and amongstsuppliers, to offer these certifications of safety. "Certifications are availablelike Okeo-Tex, EU Flower, and EcoLabel, but the products bearing thesecertificates are still subject to testing, as the certificates are issued toone set of products submitted by manufacturers and valid for all the productsmanufactured for the entire year of certification," says Nagaraj K,laboratory manager at TV SD South Asia Pvt. Ltd.


Oeko-Tex


Oeko-Tex is the largest of the certification programs."For companies in the textile and clothing industry, the Oeko-Tex criteriacatalog provides, for the very first time, a uniform, scientifically-foundedevaluation standard for the human ecological safety of textiles, against thebackground of the globalized and extremely fragmented nature of the textilemanufacturing chain," says Carmine Carlo Ammirati, research anddevelopment director at Alcantara Spa, a joint venture between Toray Industries(Japan) and ENI Group (Italy).


Ammirati says that the Oeko-Tex certification is also a goodmarketing tool with regards to the consumer. "[It] indicates to interestedend-users the additional benefits of tested safety for skin-friendly clothingand other textiles."


Manfred Wentz, head of Oeko-Tex Certification Body (USA),says that, besides substances usually listed in RSLs, Oeko-Tex lists additionalskin-sensitizing substances. Oeko-Tex has issued 73,000 certifications tomanufacturers in more than 80 countries since its introduction in 1992, saysWentz, and has kept data for every test it has done, for tracking purposes.(Oeko-Tex doesn't release test data outside of the company it is certifyingwithout the company's permission. It only publicly issues a "pass" or"fail" on certification.)


What makes Oeko-Tex special, Wentz says is its modularapproach-individual components are tested as well as the final product. "Thishelps not only for verifications for safety, but also for cost-sharing,"Wentz notes. "It spreads the costs throughout the production chain. Thus,zippers, sewing threads, and care labels manufacturers can all get Oeko-Texcertification."


Assessment of the final product is important. If allcomponents have valid certificates, the final product does not need any furthertesting. It can get the Oeko-Tex label that states consumers can have "Confidencein Textiles" since the product has been tested for harmful substancesaccording to the Oeko-Tex Standard 100.


bluesign


"The bluesign standard is a holistic input streammanagement," says Peter Waeber, CEO of bluesign technologies. Bluesign isa proactive system that regulates more than 600 restricted or bannedsubstances.


What makes bluesign special is something they call InputStream Management: instead of only examining the manufacturers' final product,the bluesign system demands the advance testing of all components and processesinvolved in manufacturing the product. All input flows are examined, with onlythose materials that meet the bluesign standard integrated into the productioncycle. "This way the use of dangerous substances is excluded before themanufacturing process has even begun," says Waeber.


The bluesign system color-codes chemical substances: bluemeans anything non-hazardous; grey indicates components and processes that canonly be used in production under certain conditions, under the principle of theBest Available Technology (the substances concerned may be questionable, butthere exist no reasonable substitutes, and their benefits are important); blackindicates banned substances excluded from production.


"Consistently applied, [the bluesign system]contributes to ensuring a clean production which is environmentally sound anddoesn't waste resources," says Waeber. "Therefore, the testingafterwards can be reduced to a minimum-that means reduction of costs."

 

ETAD


The Ecological and Toxicological Association of Dyes and Organic Pigments Manufacturers (ETAD) member companies coordinate their efforts to minimize adverse impacts of organic colorants on health and the environment.


Member companies are obliged to adhere to the ETAD Code of Ethics, based on the principles of responsible care. They must also comply with all national and international chemical regulations.


ETAD promotes product stewardship, international efforts on environmental and workplace protection, and the development and harmonization of test methods. ETAD has generated a database of chemicals produced by its member companies and has developed guidelines to reduce exposure for workers.


Members pledge to develop, produce, and distribute products in a responsible manner that protects human health and the environment from unacceptable risks during manufacture, transport, use, and disposal.


A primary objective of the ETAD Code of Ethics is to ensure customers in countries with less stringent requirements get the same hazard information about chemical substances that is made available to their counterparts in countries with more comprehensive regulations.


EU Eco-Label


The Flower is the symbol of the European Eco-label, a voluntary scheme designed to encourage businesses to market products and services that are kinder to the environment, as part of a broader strategy aimed at promoting sustainable consumption and production.


This program was developed with input from representatives of industry, commerce, environmental and consumer organizations, and trade unions. The flower label can be found throughout the European Union as well as in Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland.


The label is awarded only to those products with the lowest environmental impact in a product range, based on studies analyzing the impact of the product on the environment throughout its life-cycle, starting from raw material extraction in the pre-production stage, through production, distribution, and disposal.


The flower on a hang-tag guarantees consumers that the textile was produced with limited use of substances harmful to human health or the environment and reduced water and air pollution. The tag also indicates performance guarantees for shrink resistance to home laundering, and color resistance to washing, rubbing, and light exposure.


WRAP


Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) certifies compliant manufacturing and service facilities to a 12-point labor and environmental code. The program looks at RSLs as part of its certifications, especially as part of the new WRAPe program, which investigates chemical use, restricted chemicals, and REACH compliance.


"We'll also look for compliance with country legislations, EPA occupational exposure, and Material Safety Data Sheets," says Steven A. Jesseph, vice chair, president, and CEO of WRAP. "The WRAPe certification program will feature enhanced environmental assessment with a 75-point weighted scale of environmental assessment, noting if a manufacturer complies with RSLs and looking at textile facility dyehouse washing, color removal, stone washing, foam moldings, VOCs, and the manufacturers' processes for dealing with waste and indoor and external air emissions."


Originally published in &sec=article&uinfo=<%=server.URLEncode(2010)%>" target="_blank">AATCC News; July 2009 &sec=article&uinfo=<%=server.URLEncode(2010)%>" target="_blank">AATCC


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The author is associated with AATCC.