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Öko-Tex 100 is one of the most well known labels for textile products guaranteeing product safety. When your products are certified with the Öko-tex 100 mark, it is guaranteed that the products do not contain hazardous substances. European consumers are becoming more and more aware of product safety. As a result, producers and retailers want to make sure that their products indeed are safe.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Germany Food & Commodities ACT (LMBG) section 30

The first step to the Öko-Tex 100 certificate is to determine what products you would like to certify. Please note that it is possible to grant an Öko-Tex certificate for products in all stages of the production process of textile products, from yarn to the clothing article itself:

When determining what products you would like to grant the Öko-Tex 100 certificate for, it is important to keep in mind that it is possible that your certificate covers several articles. In Öko-Tex 100 this is called an “article group”. This is for example:

· textiles with physical differences only, made from well defined basic materials.

· finished textiles from the same kind of fibre material (for example those made from cellulosic fibres, mixtures of PES and CO, of synthetic fibres, etc.).

In summary, one could say that a group of products can be defined if the same raw materials are used and the same chemical procedure during production took place.

As the costs of certification are partly related to the number of different products you would like to certify, it is wise to see what products could belong in a group. Then you have maximum profit of your certificate!

If you have an idea of the products you would like to certify, think about all other products in your collection with which these could form a “product group”.

Examples of product groups:

· A producer of cotton clothing who purchases its cotton fabric from one supplier who produces all cotton fabric in a similar way is able to certify its cotton products under one certificate.

· In case you produce baby clothing of different types of fabric (cotton and polyester) but all your supplies bear the Öko-Tex 100 certificate, you are allowed to certify all of your products under one certificate.

As you can see, it is possible to compile various products to a product group. You can contact the Öko-Tex secretariat for information on the most broad product group that can be defined for your products.

The next important step is to check with your suppliers, whether the products you purchase are certified according to the Öko-Tex 100 criteria. It is possible to certify a t-shirt without testing if all products you use in the production of for example a t-shirt are certified with the Öko-Tex 100 label. Obviously, the costs for certification are in this case lower than if the final product needs to be certified.

In the Öko-Tex 100 application you need a copy of the Öko-Tex certificates of your suppliers, and the information listed below. So if you contact your suppliers to inform whether the products you purchase are certified, please ask for the following information:

If you know what products you would like to certify and whether your supplies are already certified or not, it is time to contact an official Öko-Tex 100 test institute. On the website of Öko-Tex 100 under “institutes” (see related links) you can find the official test institutes of the “International Association for Research and Testing in the field of Textile Ecology”. You can for example choose to contact Centexbel (

Belgium) or Testex (

Switzerland).

In your first contact with an official test institute, you ask for the application forms. There is a booklet available “Öko-Tex Standard 100: general and special conditions” in which both background information is provided as well as application forms.

Next, you fill out the application form in which you provide all information requested to the best of your knowledge. The more information you can provide, the better. It is very important to provide information on all chemicals like dyes and auxiliaries that are used in the production process. Based on this information Öko-Tex determines how many samples should be produced and what tests need to be performed for certification.

In the declaration of commitment, you declare that you are responsible for the correctness of the information provided and that you are indeed obliged to inform the testing institute of any technical alterations.

The sample(s) you submit are tested by the official test institute according to the standards and methods of Öko-Tex 100. All official test institutes test according to the same standard test procedures to ensure constant and uniform test results.

You will receive a test report with an overview of the test results. The test-report is at this point only relevant for the tested articles. Even if your product complies with all criteria of the Öko-Tex 100 Standard, you are not yet allowed to use the Öko-Tex 100 Mark “confidence in textiles”.

If your products do not comply you are requested to have your product tested again. Please note that if additional testing is needed

As the applicant, you need to fill out the declaration of conformity, before a product is allowed to be labelled with the Öko-Tex 100 label. By means of this declaration the applicant declares, among others, that the products the applicant sells are equivalent to the products tested. The applicant needs to submit information on how he or she intends to manage that all products are of equal quality like the tested products.

Moreover, by means of this declaration of conformity you agree that the institute granting the authorisation for use of the label is authorised to carry out random tests on each product under application.

If you successfully passed through step 1 to 6 you will be awarded the Öko-Tex 100 certificate. The Öko-Tex 100 certificates can be issued by the Öko-Tex 100 test institutes and by “Association pour la promotion de l'Assurance Qualité dans la filière Textile-Habillement (ASQUAL)” and the “Deutsche Zertifizierungsstelle Oeko-Tex”.

The certificate is valid for 1 year. If you would like to prolong your certificate, you can do so by means of the “application for prolongation form”.


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►TOYS ►CHILDREN'S PRODUCTS ►CHEMICAL ►ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ►HARDLINES ►SOFTLINES ►REGULATIONS OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES	Introduction to Öko-Tex 100 Öko-Tex 100 is one of the most well known labels for textile products guaranteeing product safety. When your products are certified with the Öko-tex 100 mark, it is guaranteed that the products do not contain hazardous substances. European consumers are becoming more and more aware of product safety. As a result, producers and retailers want to make sure that their products indeed are safe. Examples of well-known restricted substances for Öko-Tex 100 Substance Tested Methods / Standards / Regulations Azo Dyes 2002/62/EC Soluble Heavy Metals ICP-MS Lead and Cadmium containing compounds ICP-MS Nickel compounds EN 1810 / EN 1811 / EN 12472 Allergenous and Carcinogenic Disperse Dyes HPLC Chlorinated Phenols (PCP, TeCP, TriCP) DIN 53313 Orthophenylphenol (OPP) GC-MS Chromium VI DIN 53314 Phthalates 2005/84/EC Chlorinated Organic Carriers GC-MS Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) GC-MS Organotin compounds (MBT/DBT/TBT) GC-MS Ozone Depleting Substances GC-MS Formaldehyde ISO 14184 / JIS L1041 Short Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (SCCPs) GC-MS Pesticides GC-MS Volatile Organic compounds (VOCs) GC-MS / EN 71-9 Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) GC-MS N-Nitrosamines and Nitrosatable substances GC-MS; 93/11/EEC Flame retardants GC-MS Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Germany Food & Commodities ACT (LMBG) section 30 Nonylphenol (NP) & Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs); or 2003/53/EC Alkylphenols (APs) & Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs) pH value ISO 3071 / EN 1413 Determination of Odour DIN 10955 / SNV 195651 Colour Fastness to Water ISO 105 E01 Colour Fastness to Rubbing ISO 105 X12 Colour Fastness to Perspiration ISO 105 E04 Colour Fastness to Saliva DIN 53160 Application procedures for Öko-Tex label Step 1: Selection of the products you would like to certify The first step to the Öko-Tex 100 certificate is to determine what products you would like to certify. Please note that it is possible to grant an Öko-Tex certificate for products in all stages of the production process of textile products, from yarn to the clothing article itself: · yarn / sewing thread · fabric · lining · buttons / accessories · care labels · clothing When determining what products you would like to grant the Öko-Tex 100 certificate for, it is important to keep in mind that it is possible that your certificate covers several articles. In Öko-Tex 100 this is called an “article group”. This is for example: · textiles with physical differences only, made from well defined basic materials. · articles which are physically composed of certified products only. · finished textiles from the same kind of fibre material (for example those made from cellulosic fibres, mixtures of PES and CO, of synthetic fibres, etc.). In summary, one could say that a group of products can be defined if the same raw materials are used and the same chemical procedure during production took place. As the costs of certification are partly related to the number of different products you would like to certify, it is wise to see what products could belong in a group. Then you have maximum profit of your certificate! If you have an idea of the products you would like to certify, think about all other products in your collection with which these could form a “product group”. Examples of product groups: · A producer of cotton clothing who purchases its cotton fabric from one supplier who produces all cotton fabric in a similar way is able to certify its cotton products under one certificate. · In case you produce baby clothing of different types of fabric (cotton and polyester) but all your supplies bear the Öko-Tex 100 certificate, you are allowed to certify all of your products under one certificate. As you can see, it is possible to compile various products to a product group. You can contact the Öko-Tex secretariat for information on the most broad product group that can be defined for your products. Step 2. Are your supplies already certified according to Öko-Tex 100? The next important step is to check with your suppliers, whether the products you purchase are certified according to the Öko-Tex 100 criteria. It is possible to certify a t-shirt without testing if all products you use in the production of for example a t-shirt are certified with the Öko-Tex 100 label. Obviously, the costs for certification are in this case lower than if the final product needs to be certified. In the Öko-Tex 100 application you need a copy of the Öko-Tex certificates of your suppliers, and the information listed below. So if you contact your suppliers to inform whether the products you purchase are certified, please ask for the following information: Designation of the article Supplier Öko-Tex 100 Certificate number Expiry date of the Öko-Tex 100 certificate Product class · Class I: products for babies · Class II: products with direct contact to skin · Class III: products without direct contact to skin · Class IV: decoration materials Copy of the Öko-Tex 100 certificates Step 3. Contact an official test institute and complete application form If you know what products you would like to certify and whether your supplies are already certified or not, it is time to contact an official Öko-Tex 100 test institute. On the website of Öko-Tex 100 under “institutes” (see related links) you can find the official test institutes of the “International Association for Research and Testing in the field of Textile Ecology”. You can for example choose to contact Centexbel (Belgium) or Testex (Switzerland). In your first contact with an official test institute, you ask for the application forms. There is a booklet available “Öko-Tex Standard 100: general and special conditions” in which both background information is provided as well as application forms. Next, you fill out the application form in which you provide all information requested to the best of your knowledge. The more information you can provide, the better. It is very important to provide information on all chemicals like dyes and auxiliaries that are used in the production process. Based on this information Öko-Tex determines how many samples should be produced and what tests need to be performed for certification. Step 4. Declaration of commitment In the declaration of commitment, you declare that you are responsible for the correctness of the information provided and that you are indeed obliged to inform the testing institute of any technical alterations. Step 5. Test of sample by the test institute The sample(s) you submit are tested by the official test institute according to the standards and methods of Öko-Tex 100. All official test institutes test according to the same standard test procedures to ensure constant and uniform test results. You will receive a test report with an overview of the test results. The test-report is at this point only relevant for the tested articles. Even if your product complies with all criteria of the Öko-Tex 100 Standard, you are not yet allowed to use the Öko-Tex 100 Mark “confidence in textiles”. If your products do not comply you are requested to have your product tested again. Please note that if additional testing is needed Step 6. Declaration of conformity As the applicant, you need to fill out the declaration of conformity, before a product is allowed to be labelled with the Öko-Tex 100 label. By means of this declaration the applicant declares, among others, that the products the applicant sells are equivalent to the products tested. The applicant needs to submit information on how he or she intends to manage that all products are of equal quality like the tested products. Moreover, by means of this declaration of conformity you agree that the institute granting the authorisation for use of the label is authorised to carry out random tests on each product under application. Step 7. The Öko-Tex 100 label If you successfully passed through step 1 to 6 you will be awarded the Öko-Tex 100 certificate. The Öko-Tex 100 certificates can be issued by the Öko-Tex 100 test institutes and by “Association pour la promotion de l'Assurance Qualité dans la filière Textile-Habillement (ASQUAL)” and the “Deutsche Zertifizierungsstelle Oeko-Tex”. The certificate is valid for 1 year. If you would like to prolong your certificate, you can do so by means of the “application for prolongation form”. © 2008 Professional Testing & Consulting Ltd. All rights reserved.