ZURICH — The guidelines of the OEKO-TEX® product portfolio were updated in January and after a three-month transition period, go into effect April 1, 2018, for all certification systems and other services, it reports.
This year, the association that publishes standards for textiles endeavors to provide further targeted support on issues relating to consumer protection and sustainability throughout the textile value creation chain.
The changes to association products are as follows:
Detox to Zero — The restructuring of this assessment tool and status report improves usability and clarity. It can be fully integrated into STeP.
Eco Passport — The ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) initiative accepts the Eco Passport as an indicator of conformity with their MRSL (harmful substance exclusion list for textile production). Bisphenol A is among the new substances. Others include: alkylphenols (pentyl- and heptyl-phenol) and the aromatic amine aniline.
The association notes: “You can now list up to five products from different categories on an Eco Passport certificate. Previously, an individual certificate had to be issued for every product category.”
Leather Standard — Bisphenol A, the aromatic amine aniline and other alkylphenols (pentyl- and heptyl-phenol) are now recorded as part of this.
Made In Green — The minimum requirements and criteria for awarding this product label have been updated. Advantages of the new definition according to the association are: improved comprehensibility and less time for label attainment.
Standard 100 — The newly-recorded harmful substances in this criteria catalogue are phenol, bisphenol A, the aromatic amine aniline as well as the additional alkylphenols, pentyl- and heptyl-phenol.
The association indicates that it, “henceforth places the substance quinoline under observation. Amended limit values also apply for short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCP) and ortho-phenylphenol (OPP).
“The association plans to integrate the testing of organic cotton products for genetically modified organisms (GMO) into Standard 100,” it adds.
STeP — The scope of STeP assessments for the survey of required company data is significantly reduced by condensing the questionnaire.
The updates of standards and guidelines, it notes, are based on the continuous exchange of experience with industry stakeholders, cooperation with initiatives and monitoring of legal regulations.
With 25 years of experience, OEKO-TEX® relates that it, “leads the world in empowering and enabling consumers and companies to protect our planet by making responsible decisions.”
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