Oeko-Tex issued more than 50,000 certificates and labels during its most recent fiscal year.
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The Swiss chemical management company said this number represents a 22 percent increase for the period between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024 over the previous financial year .
“In the past business year, the challenges faced by the textile and leather industries have intensified at an unprecedented rate,” Oeko-Tex said in its annual report, referencing legislative requirements like the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act ( CERCLA ) ban on PFAS and the European Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive ( CSDDD ).
“We are convinced that the only way to quickly adapt to these changes is through collaboration and collective action,” the report reads. “Therefore, in 2023/2024, we remained committed to our role as a partner to the industry and all our stakeholders.”
It’s with that in mind that, for the first time, there are over 40,000 chemical products certified with Oeko-Tex Eco Passport , an independent certification system for chemicals, colorants and accessories used in the industry. Eco Passport-certified chemicals comply with global regulations, including the EU’s 2007 REACH Directive (annexes 17 and 14), the ECHA Candidate List and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act ( CPSIA ). The certification is also recognized by the ZDHC as proof of MRSL conformity for levels one to three.
The Oeko-Tex Organic Cotton certification, introduced last year with “strict supply chain traceability requirements,” saw the first finished products hit the market in January. The certification saw the limit value for genetically modified organisms ( GMOs ) drop from 10 percent to 5 percent, representing a “tightening of the requirements for purity and quality,” the sustainability standards certification organization said.
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“As regulatory challenges intensify, Oeko-Tex has continuously adapted its certifications to ensure they remain compliant with evolving requirements,” the company said in a statement.
To address the U.S. CERCLA’s ban on PFAS and PFC, Oeko-Tex said it took “proactive measures” to generally ban the intentional use of these substances.
“We are now utilizing a total fluorine limit value as our testing criteria,” Oeko-Tex said in its annual report. “This approach aligns with current regulations in the USA and anticipated regulations in the EU. Furthermore, starting October 2024, we will enhance our PFAS testing methods to increase accuracy. The new method will enable to test for PFAS that are easily released but also for those that are bound to the matric they have been applied to.”
Regarding the CSDDD and other supply chain requirements, the international association introduced the Oeko-Tex Responsible Business certification, which “supports companies in fulfilling due diligence obligations throughout textile and leather supply chains.”
The Oeko-Tex quality assurance strategy includes control testing of Standard 100 , Leather Standard and Eco Passport certified and Made in Green labeled products. For 2023/2024, the product control testing included 7,000 certifications and labels from more than 70 countries, 9,000 samples taken, 48,000 tests and checks performed on the samples and 93 percent of the random samples confirming certification results.
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