Oeko-Tex® certification: new regulations 2020
At the beginning of the year, OEKO-TEX® updated its existing directives as well as the valid trial criteria and the limit values for their certifications and services-in accordance with the coherent protection of consumers and the sustainability of textiles andLeather products.After a transition period, all new regulations will come into force on April 1, 2020. An overview of the most important changes is given below.
Made in Green by Oeko-Tex® now includes leather products
After the introduction of the Made in Green label for textiles in 2015, from January 2020, it will also be possible to assign the durability label to leather products. In 2019, the STEP certification was extended to include leather production facilities. Oeko-Tex® now goes further with the integration of leather products with the Made in Green label. The leather items labeled Made in Green have been tested for harmful substances in accordance with the standard Leather and were produced in environmentally friendly installations in socially acceptable workplaces in accordance with STEP. This guarantees that consumers can also follow leather items such as clothing, shoes or furniture using a single product ID or specific QR code on the label to know in which countries and production facilities the article was made. To control the conformity of the criteria required on site in production facilities, OEKO-TEX® also performs production facilities with qualified listeners. Made in Green has already been classified by Greenpeace as one of the most demanding labels on the market.
New additions to the catalogs of limit values
After a year of observation, the carcinogenic substances N-nitrosamines and n-nitrrosables were included in Standard 100 and the standard Leather.After a year of observation, the Glyphosate herbicide and its salts were also included in the Catalog of limit values for Standard 100.Specific limit values for the total toxic metal content, arsenic and mercury have also been defined in Standard 100 and the standard Leather.The strict requirements concerning residues in textile materials will lead to an overall drop in environmental impact, workers and consumers.
New substances under observation
In 2020, OEKO-TEX® will observe various new substances based on the latest scientific discoveries and compliance with specific specifications.This mainly concerns certain newly classified substances such as SVHC, which, according to the Reach regulation for the protection of human health and the environment, have been identified as presenting particularly dangerous characteristics, as well as substances of the Arylamines group.However, various dyes, pesticides and perfurated compounds will also be examined carefully in the future.
Integration of detox to zero in step by oeko-tex®
The safe handling of chemicals and wastewater analyzes in production facilities have long been important elements of STEP certification.To manage increasingly complex requests for textile and leather production, from April 01, 2020, Detox to Zero will be a compulsory element for STEP certified installations using large quantities of water and chemicals.A positive aspect of the new regulation is the future compliance of the STEP with the list of manufacturing restrictions (MRSL), the zero rejection of dangerous chemicals (ZDHC) (initiative and the criteria of the Greenpeace Detox campaign).
A free webinar containing detailed information on the new regulations for 2020 for all Oeko-Tex® products is available on the website www.oeko-tex.com at the end of January 2020. The new regulations are available in detail on the OEKO website-Tex®.
Source: https://www.oeko-tex.com/-07/01/20
Note: In France, Ifth is the only national representative chosen by the Oeko-Tex® association to deliver its labels.