Oeko-Tex certification reaches record levels

US: Oeko-Tex certification reaches record levels

By Katie Smith | 25 April 2012

The number of companies certified to Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 has reached record levels as sustainability becomes increasingly important for textile and clothing firms.

The Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 verifies that materials are free from dangerous levels of harmful substances and meets REACH and CPSIA requirements in the EU and US.

In the last year alone, the number of certified companies increased by about 20%, according to the International Oeko-Tex Association.

Some 32% of Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 certificates are issued to finishers, while 20% are awarded to spinners and 20% to weavers. The focus of the certification is in Europe, with 45% in Spain, 11% in Switzerland and 9% in Germany. Certificates have been issued to 12 countries.

In Spain, a comparatively large number of companies have been awarded the Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 because the certification is one of the pre-requisites to retaining the "Made in Green" label for sustainably produced products.

"In a fiercely competitive international market, ecological and social manufacturing conditions are an additional sales argument for each company's own products," said Oeko-Tex secretary general Dr Jean-Pierre Haug.

"However, the implementation of the required Oeko-Tex criteria is mainly used by companies as a springboard to assist them in the more efficient design of their production processes based on their individual corporate philosophy and their company innovations, thereby enabling them also to benefit from economic aspects."

Sectors: Apparel, Fibres & fabrics, Manufacturing, Social & environmental responsibility, Sourcing