'Confidence in Textiles' provides reliable guide for textile buyers

30 Aug '07

3 min read

The requirements of the Oeko-Tex list of criteria for textiles with good human ecology characteristics are reassessed every year by all the Oeko-Tex member institutes, and modified where necessary, depending on current market trends and new scientific findings. The level of testing depends on the intended use of the textile product in question: the closer the skin contact, the stricter the limits that are prescribed.

Baby items and textile toys are therefore tested particularly rigorously, followed by items used close to the skin such as underwear, towels and bedding. Even the test criteria for furnishing materials such as tablecloths or curtains always extend, in their entirety, beyond what is legally required.

For formaldehyde, for example, under European legislation it is only necessary to declare 1500 ppm of the substance per kilogram of textile, whereas the Oeko-Tex Standard 100, with its differentiation between product classes, sets very strict standards for formaldehyde.

In product classes III (textiles not coming into direct contact with the skin) and IV (furnishing materials), a maximum of 300 ppm are permitted, while for items in close contact with the body the limit is set at 75 ppm and for baby articles there must be no traces of formaldehyde at all. For comparison: even a healthy apple contains about 20 ppm of formaldehyde.

The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 allows the certification of raw materials, intermediate products and finished manufactured articles at all stages of processing along the textile chain. However, for a product to be endorsed withthe Oeko-Tex label, all its components including accessories such as buttons, zips and linings must have been successfully tested.

Compliance with the required human ecology criteria is monitored each year by the Oeko-Tex Association by testing products bought from retailers and taking random samples from ongoing production by certificated manufacturers, at a rate of at least 15% of certificates issued.

Before an Oeko-Tex certificate can be issued, a company must also provide evidence of a quality control system which ensures compliance with the product characteristics required by Oeko-Tex.

Oeko-Tex Association

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