OEKO-TEX® Standard 100
Explanation
The OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is an independent testing and certification system for textile raw materials, intermediate and end products at all stages of production. Examples for items eligible for certification: Raw and dyed/finished yarns, raw and dyed/finished fabrics and knits, ready-made articles (all types of clothing, domestic and household textiles, bed linen, terry cloth items, textile toys and more).
Criteria
Testing for harmful substances includes:
In their entirety the requirements clearly exceed existing national legislation.
Laboratory tests and product classes
OEKO-TEX® testing for harmful substances always focus on the actual use of the textile. The more intensive the skin contact of a product, the stricter the human ecological requirements to be met.
Accordingly there are four product classes:
Product class I: Textile items for babies and toddlers up to 3 years (clothing, toys, bed linen, terry cloth items etc.)
Product class II: Textiles used close to the skin (underwear, bed linen, T-shirts etc.)
Product class III: Textiles used away from the skin (jackets, coats etc.)
Product class IV: Furnishing materials (curtains, table cloths, upholstery materials etc.)
Certification
The requirement for certification of textile products according to OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is that all components of an item have to comply with the required criteria without exception – that means in addition to the outer material also sewing threads, linings, prints etc. as well as non-textile accessories such as buttons, zip fasteners, rivets etc.
FSC CERTIFICATION
Ensuring environmental, social and economic benefits.
FSC certification ensures that products come from well managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits.
Forest owners and managers may want to become FSC certified to demonstrate that they are managing their forests responsibly. Along the supply chain, FSC certification can provide benefits such as access to new markets.
The FSC Principles and Criteria (P&C) set out best practices for forest management. In many countries, FSC Regional or National Standards are developed by FSC working groups. Regional and national standards transfer the P&C to the specific conditions and context found in each country or region.
Forest managers or owners who want to achieve FSC Forest Management Certification contract an FSC accredited certification body to carry out an assessment. The certification body checks that the operation complies with all relevant FSC requirements. If it does, they issue a FSC forest management certificate, which is valid for five years and monitored annually to make sure the company continues to meet FSC standards. If the forest owner or manager wishes to sell FSC certified products, they will also need chain of custody certification.
Chain of custody certification applies to manufacturers, processors and traders of FSC certified forest products. It verifies FSC certified forest products along the production chain. At each stage in the chain of processing and transformation, chain of custody certification is needed to confirm that FSC certified wood products are kept separate from uncertified products, or mixed in approved ways.