OEKO-TEX® is one of those certifications you’ve almost certainly heard about, but what does OEKO-TEX certified mean, exactly, and can you rely on its standards?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by sustainability certifications, you’re not alone. The plethora of acronyms and abbreviations—like BCI, GOTS, bluesign® Approved, Global Recycle Standard, Fair Trade, and many more—are enough to make any label reader’s head spin.
Are these new certification schemes a good thing?
Assuming they’re legit and you know what they stand for, sure. Then certifications give us comfort by telling us something about a product or brand but also importantly that it’s verified by independent, third-party sources.
Here we’re looking at OEKO-TEX, an organization with a portfolio of certifications for textile and leather products.
Contents: OEKO-TEX Certification, Standards & Reliability
- What Is OEKO-TEX Certification? Jump to section
- What Are The OEKO-TEX Standards? Jump to section
- How To Verify An OEKO-TEX Certification Jump to section
- How Reliable Is OEKO-TEX Certified? Jump to section
- OEKO-TEX Vs. GOTS: What’s The Difference? Jump to section
What Is OEKO-TEX Certification?
So, what does OEKO-TEX certification mean, exactly?
OEKO-TEX® is code for the International Association for Research and Testing in the Field of Textile and Leather Ecology—which is a mouthful. It was founded by the German Hohenstein Institute and the Austrian Textile Research Institute (OETI) over 30 years ago.
Today, the organization is made up of 17 independent institutes in Europe and Japan, with 97 contact offices around the globe.
OEKO-TEX issues various product-related certification labels that we’ll dive into below. The most well-known of these is the STANDARD 100, which tests textile items for a range of chemicals and certifies those that are safe for use.
Chemical certification is hugely important when we consider the chemical cocktails present in modern clothing and textiles—think azo dyes, formaldehyde, pesticides, and phthalates. OEKO-Tex certification can provide reassurance that your bedding or leather handbag is safe, that those sustainable dyes really don’t contain hazardous chemicals, and that your play mat is safe for your mini-me.
What Are The OEKO-TEX Standards?
STANDARD 100 By OEKO-TEX®
OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 is the best-known standard of them all. You’ve probably come across it when scanning clothing and shoe labels and home textile descriptions.
If an item has the Standard 100 label, it means every component of the product—including buttons, linings, threads, trims, and zips—has been tested against a long list of harmful substances and found safe for human health.
The test originally covered 100 regulated and non-regulated substances (hence the name), but today, it covers several hundred substances, including azo dyes, formaldehyde, heavy metals, pesticides, and PVC (the most toxic type of plastic). The list is updated at least once a year following new scientific findings and legislation.
Products are divided into four product classes:
- Baby products (Class I)
- Products with direct contact with skin (Class II)
- Products without direct contact with skin (Class III)
- Decoration Material (Class IV)
Depending on which class a product is in, different limits/concentrations of chemical substances are allowed. The most strict is baby products, with higher concentrations allowed as you move down the categories.
LEATHER STANDARD By OEKO-TEX®
The LEATHER STANDARD by OEKO-TEX® is the equivalent of the STANDARD 100 for leather and leather products. It covers items at all levels of production including leather materials, leather clothing, and leather accessories.
As with the STANDARD 100, all components of an article are tested, including buttons, prints, sewing thread, and zips.
MADE IN GREEN By OEKO-TEX®
MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX® is a traceable product label for products that have been “manufactured using environmentally friendly processes and under socially responsible working conditions”.
It goes beyond the STANDARD 100 and the LEATHER STANDARD (which are only concerned with product safety) by bringing in social and environmental responsibility as well as traceability and transparent supply chains.
The STANDARD 100 and LEATHER STANDARD are a prerequisite to gaining the MADE IN GREEN label. Production facilities also need to hold an OEKO-TEX® STeP certification.
A bonus for the consumer is that you can track the supply chain journey of MADE IN GREEN labeled products by scanning the QR code on the tag or entering the unique product ID in the OEKO-TEX® Label Check. This will bring up details about the country and manufacturer where the item was made.
OEKO-TEX® STeP
Sustainable Textile & Leather Production (STeP) is a modular certification system covering the entire textile and leather production chain. It goes beyond the STANDARD 100 and the LEATHER STANDARD (which are not ecological or social standards), to provide a certification that takes into account the following 6 modules:
- Chemical management
- Environmental performance
- Environmental management
- Social responsibility
- Quality management
- Health protection and safety at work
Manufacturers from all processing levels must be certified, from fiber manufacturing (spinning and weaving) to dyeing and finishing of textile products.
ECO PASSPORT By OEKO-TEX®
ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® is an independent certification for chemicals used in the textile and leather industries. Each individual ingredient of a chemical product is analyzed and tested for harmful substances.
OEKO-TEX® updates the banned substances list and permitted amounts once a year based on the latest evidence and legal requirements.
OEKO-TEX® RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS
In 2022, OEKO-TEX® introduced the OEKO-TEX® RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS certification to support companies with “due diligence compliance” concerning both human rights and the environment. It covers six areas: business policy, risk assessment, integration of appropriate actions, continuous monitoring, transparent communication, and complaint mechanism plus a seventh, voluntary module on climate action.
OEKO-TEX® ORGANIC COTTON
In April 2023, OEKO-TEX® ORGANIC COTTON joined the suite of certifications. It verifies that organic cotton products were made with organic cotton, that the cotton was grown without GMOs, and that it has been tested for harmful substances along the along the whole chain of custody.
There are two labels, OEKO-TEX® ORGANIC COTTON for products that contain 100% organic cotton and OEKO-TEX® ORGANIC COTTON Blended for products that contain at least 70% organic cotton. Products made with less than 70% organic cotton can still be tested for harmful substances and receive the OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 label.
How To Verify An OEKO-TEX Certification
Fortunately, verifying an OEKO-TEX certification is far more straightforward than learning how to read clothing labels in general.
You can check whether an OEKO-TEX® label is genuine by using the OEKO-TEX® Label Check tool. Simply enter the details from your OEKO-TEX® label (watching out for case-sensitive characters) and the Label Check will let you know if the certification is legitimate.
Reach out to OEKO-TEX® if the number doesn’t show up.
How Reliable Is OEKO-TEX Certified?
As conscious consumers, we want to know if we can rely on OEKO-TEX and other certifications like B Corp and Fair Trade.
In order to assess the credibility of certifications, we need to look at the organizations behind them and how the certification is carried out. What we’re really looking for is third-party verification by independent bodies.
OEKO-TEX® is a well-established organization and crucially, it relies on independent certification bodies to test products using its criteria. There are 17 independent institutes in Europe and Japan with contact offices across the globe that first perform lab tests to determine the non-toxicity of products, followed by a mandatory on-site visit.
The STANDARD 100 certification is valid for one year, meaning companies must retest products every single year to recertify.
Each of these auditing institutes is audited every three years by the by the CEO of OEKO-TEX® and the OEKO-TEX® auditor for quality assurance. OEKO-TEX® also publishes an annual report. Checks and balances like these are critical to maintain an impartial standard across the market.
OEKO-TEX Vs. GOTS: What’s The Difference?
You might be wondering how OEKO-TEX® compares with other certifications. A common question is how OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 (the one most people know about) compares with the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).
So, OEKO-TEX vs. GOTS—what’s the difference?
Both OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 and GOTS are internationally recognized textile standards. GOTS Certification is also concerned with the control of chemicals and tests for a number of hazardous substances. But the similarities end there.
Organic Vs Non Organic
An OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certification doesn’t mean organic. It’s used to certify all types of textiles, not just natural fibers that can be grown and processed organically. It’s very useful for synthetic fabrics and semi-synthetic fibers like rayon, modal, lyocell, and bamboo fabric—especially since these are the ones that often heavily involve chemical inputs to create.
GOTS, on the other hand, is the leading standard for certifying organic textiles like organic cotton, linen, and wool (the clue’s in the name!).
Note that the newer OEKO-TEX® ORGANIC COTTON certification does certify organic products, but this is a seperate standard from OEKO-TEX 100. It also doesn’t cover social criteria like GOTS certification.
OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 allows the use of GMO cotton, synthetic fertilizers, and some synthetic pesticides all of which are prohibited by GOTS. It also allows synthetic sizing (a protective coating to yarn to make it easier to weave), such as PVA. GOTS only allows organic sizing which is often made from vegetable starch.
An OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certification means that residues are within their limits, not absent. For example, it allows 75ppm of formaldehyde for textiles in contact with the skin (e.g., bedding and clothing) and 300ppm of formaldehyde for other textiles. GOTS does not permit any formaldehyde.
Final Product Vs. Whole Supply Chain
The OEKO TEX® STANDARD 100 isn’t an eco label so there’s no environmental protocol. It doesn’t say anything about the supply chain and an item’s journey from raw material to the final product. It also doesn’t cover ethical manufacturing and how worker’s in the supply chain are treated. It’s simply concerned with product safety.
GOTS is a more complete certification that covers health, the environment, and social criteria.
The MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX® label is more holistic in terms of what it assesses. But it’s not an organic certification. GOTS is seen as the gold standard for organic fibers.
Theoretically can there be a GOTS certified organic cotton fabrics but uses toxic dyes? If you want the healthiest fabrics, do you need to find GOTS plus OEKO-TEX?
Hi Beth, GOTS says “GOTS prohibits all chemicals that don’t meet those rigorous conditions, including flame retardants, PFAS and toxic dyes.” – I guess in theory products could be shipped off to get dyed in another stage post certifying but I’d say it’s unlikely in most cases. Might be worth checking directly with the brand in question though.