Chapter 6; eco labelling (oeko-tex-100 and eu eco-label)

1. CHAPTER 6: Eco-labelling (Oeko-
tex-100 and EU eco-label)
Prepared by: Shaheen Sardar
COURSE TITLE: Environmental issues of textile
industry

2. OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100
• A voluntary testing and certification system,
which is uniform worldwide, for the objective
assessment of potential harmful substances in
textile products at all stages of production
throughout the textile value chain.

3. PRODUCT RANGE
• All textile products including raw materials,
yarns, textile fabrics, finished textile products
can be certified.
• Basic principle: All components of the
product, including interlinings and accessories
such as buttons, zip fasteners etc. must meet
the requirements of the Oeko-Tex® criteria
catalogue without exception.

4. TESTING OF HARMFUL SUBSTANCES
The Oeko-Tex® laboratory tests currently
comprise over 100 individual parameters:
• Substances which are prohibited by law (e.g.
carcinogenic dyestuffs).
• Substances which are regulated by law (e.g.
formaldehyde, phthalates, heavy metals or
pentachlorophenol).

5. TESTING OF HARMFUL SUBSTANCES
• Substances which, according to the latest
understanding, have been proven to be
harmful to health (e.g. pesticides, allergy-
inducing dyestuffs, tin-organic compounds).
• Precautionary parameters to safeguard health
(e.g. a skin-friendly pH-value, colorfastness).

6. CERTIFICATION RESPONSIBILITY
• The International Oeko-Tex® Association, a
grouping of 15 independent textile research and
test institutes in Europe and Japan with
representative offices in a further 45 countries
around the world, is responsible for Oeko-Tex®
certification.
• The Oeko-Tex® certificate is issued by the relevant
test institute following successful testing. Germany
and France are exceptions: here, products are
tested by the authorized test institutes, and
certificates are issued by certification centers
specifically set up for this purpose.

7. AIM OF CERTIFICATION
• Risk assessment of potential harmful
substances in textile products that exist within
the globally organized textile and clothing
industry, creating a uniform safety standard
which is applicable throughout the world.

8. CONCEPT OF CERTIFICATION
The Oeko-Tex® testing and certification system
is based on 3 basic principles:
(1) Appropriateness:
• The more intensively a textile comes into
contact with the skin, the higher the human
ecological requirements which must be met.

9. CONCEPT OF CERTIFICATION
(2) Modular Principle:
• The Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 makes it possible to
certify textile products at all stages of the processing
chain (including accessories).
• It also expressly permits the use of certified source
materials. This means that duplicate tests can be
avoided, and the additional costs for product testing
are equally distributed between all partners involved
throughout the textile chain.
• The responsibility for the human ecological quality of
the products lies with the party who is in a position to
determine the chemicals employed in production in the
form of dyestuffs and auxiliaries by the combination of
materials used.

10. CONCEPT OF CERTIFICATION
(3) Comprehensive Security:
• Textile products may only be certified if all
components, including non-textile
accessories, meet the requirements of a
uniform Oeko-Tex® product class.
• To maintain the required security, the Oeko-
Tex® Association carries out product controls
on a minimum of 15% of all certificates issued
on the market on an annual basis.

11. CERTIFICATION PROCEDURE
• Certification of products by one of the
authorized Oeko-Tex® test institutes follows a
strictly defined procedure, and experience
shows that this takes four weeks per
certificate, although this can be processed
more quickly in individual cases where
possible.

13. CERTIFICATION PROCEDURE
• (1) Company’s application for certification to
one of the Oeko-Tex® member institutes or
their representative offices.
• (2) Representative sample materials
submitted for laboratory testing.
• (3) Individual test plan drawn up to specify the
scope of the tests and the article group to be
certified.

14. CERTIFICATION PROCEDURE
• (4) Textile samples submitted tested within the
stipulated Oeko-Tex® methodology in the
laboratory.
• (5) Oeko-Tex® institute informs the applicant of
the results of the laboratory tests in the form of a
test report.
• (6) Applicant confirms in a declaration of
conformity that the products in current
production demonstrate the same human
ecological properties as the samples tested.

15. CERTIFICATION PROCEDURE
• (7) To ensure this, the applicant must provide the
test institute in question with credible evidence
that a suitable quality assurance system has been
put into place. In the frame of the certification
process the applicant's company will be audited
by an auditor of the mandated Oeko-Tex®
institute.
• (8) Oeko-Tex® certificate issued by the test
institutes in question or the relevant certification
centre

16. COST OF CERTIFICATION
• The financial cost of certification according to
Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 is made up of the costs
for laboratory testing, the expenses for the
company audit by the relevant Oeko-Tex®
institute, and a license fee to cover the one-year
duration of the certificate.
• The cost depends on the type of textile product
in question and the method of manufacture, and
an estimate can be obtained as part of the
application and specification of the individual
test plan.

17. FUNCTION OF THE CERTIFICATE
• An Oeko-Tex® certificate is issued for a period
of one year and can be extended on
application.
• In trade, it serves as evidence of successful
certification and authorizes the certificate
holder to mark his products with the label
“Confidence in textiles” for the period of
validity, or to advertise in other forms.

18. Eco-Label (Confidence in textiles)

19. FUNCTION OF THE CERTIFICATE
• The certificate includes the test number used
on the label and a description of the article
group which demonstrates precisely which
products the certificate refers to and to which
product class they have been allocated.

21. ADVANTAGES OF CERTIFICATION FOR
THE TEXTILE AND CLOTHING INDUSTRY
• Health Protection: Textiles of all kinds which
pose no risk to health.
• In-house quality assurance: Sensible
complement to in-house quality assurance with
reference to the optimization of human
ecological product quality.
• Quality Improvement: Annual adaptation of
the Oeko-Tex® criteria catalogue means that
companies’ own quality standards are
constantly being improved.

22. ADVANTAGES OF CERTIFICATION FOR
THE TEXTILE AND CLOTHING INDUSTRY
• Credibility: Product testing and certification
by internationally renowned and independent
test institutes.
• Transparency: Accelerated exchange of
information and simplification of supply
relationships based on the internationally
binding criteria catalogue.

23. ADVANTAGES OF CERTIFICATION FOR
THE TEXTILE AND CLOTHING INDUSTRY
• Marketing: Additional sales argument by
means of the proactive labeling of certified
products with the Oeko-Tex® label.
• Brand Character: High level of acceptance and
prevalence of the Oeko-Tex® criteria within
the textile and clothing industry and high level
of awareness of the label amongst many end
users.

24. FOUR PRODUCT CLASSES
Product
Class I
Textiles and textile toys for babies and toddlers under three
years of age. (e.g. baby products of all types such as romper
suits, pushchair covers, textile toys, baby slings etc.)
Product
Class II
Textiles which, when used as intended, have a large portion
of their surface coming into direct contact with the skin
(e.g. underwear, bedding, terry goods, shirts, blouses etc.)
Product
Class III
Textiles which, when used as intended, do not come into
contact with the skin, or only to a small extent (e.g. jackets,
coats etc.)
Product
Class IV
Furnishing materials for decorative purposes (e.g. table
linen and curtains, as well as textile wall and floor coverings,
mattress cores etc.)

25. Product Class I
• ROMPER SUITS
• TEXTILE TOYS

26. Product Class II
• TERRY GOODS
• BEDDING

27. Product Class III
• JACKETS
• COATS

28. Product Class IV
• TABLE LINEN
• MATTRESS CORES

29. FOUR PRODUCT CLASSES
• Products with Oeko-Tex® certification are
allocated to one of the four product classes
based on the intended use of the textile.
• The more closely a product comes into contact
with the skin (and the more sensitive the
human skin), the more stringent the human
ecological criteria which apply for laboratory
testing.
• Products for babies and toddlers are therefore
subject to the most stringent human ecological
requirements.

30. OEKO-TEX®STANDARD 1000
• The tests for harmful substances in textiles
specified in the Oeko-tex® Standard 100 were
first introduced in 1992 and these met with
great success.
• As a logical progression of this ecological
concept, the “Oeko-Tex® International –
Association for the Assessment of
Environmentally Friendly Textiles” introduced
the Oeko-Tex® Standard 1000 for production
ecology in 1995.

31. OEKO-TEX®STANDARD 1000
• It is a testing, auditing and certification system
for environmentally-friendly production sites
throughout the textile manufacturing chain.
• For certification according to Oeko-Tex®
Standard 1000, companies must meet
stipulated criteria relating to their
environmentally-friendly manufacturing
processes and provide evidence that at
least 30% of total production is already
certified according to Oeko-Tex® Standard
100.

32. OEKO-TEX®STANDARD 1000
• The required criteria include:
• Avoiding the use of environmentally-damaging
auxiliaries and dyestuffs
• Compliance with standard values for waste water
and exhaust air treatment
• Efficient energy consumption
• Avoiding noise and dust pollution
• Specified measures for safety at the workplace
• Use of child labor prohibited
• Introduction of basic elements of an
environmental management system

33. OEKO-TEX®STANDARD 1000
• The company is monitored by an independent
auditor from “Oeko-Tex® International –
Association for the Assessment of
Environmentally Friendly Textiles”. The
certificate is valid for three years and must be
renewed regularly.
• Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certifies the textile
products themselves.
• Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 certifies the production
facilities that make those products.

34. OEKO-TEX®STANDARD 1000

35. OEKO-TEX®STANDARD 1000
• If a company is certified for compliance with
Oeko-Tex® Standard 1000 and its products are
already certified for compliance with Oeko-Tex®
Standard 100, it can obtain the Oeko-Tex®
Standard 100 plus label for these products under
certain conditions.

36. OEKO-TEX®STANDARD 1000

37. EU ECO-LABEL
INTRODUCTION:
• An eco-labelled product generates less
environmental impacts on air, water, soil and
human health throughout its life cycle, from
raw material extraction to end of life (“from
cradle to grave”).

38. INTRODUCTION

39. INTRODUCTION
• The EU eco-label is a voluntary product label.
It was established in 1992 to encourage
businesses to market products and services
that meet high standards of environmental
performance and quality.

40. INTRODUCTION

41. INTRODUCTION
• The EU Eco-label is an official label managed
by the European Commission which certifies
that a product or service is of good
environmental quality and guaranteed
technical performance.

43. INTRODUCTION
• The labels are awarded according to
environmental criteria set by the member
states of the EU with involvement of industry
and consumer and environmental NGOs (non-
governmental organizations) European
Commission of Environment.
• These criteria cover the whole life cycle of a
product, from the extraction of raw materials,
through manufacture, distribution, use and
disposal of the product.

44. INTRODUCTION
• These assessment criteria are not generic.
Specific products and services have their own
criteria.
• There is a significant body of legislation that
has been assembled to back up the EU eco-
label which has been periodically reviewed
since 1992 to keep the text up to date and
ensure that lessons learned in the
implementation of eco-label schemes are
incorporated.

45. INTRODUCTION
• Products include Cleaning products, Textile
products and footwear, Paints and varnishes,
Electronic Equipment, Floor coverings,
Furniture, Gardening, Household Appliances,
Lubricants, Mattresses, Copying and graphic
paper, Tissue papers etc.

46. MAIN AIMS OF ECO-LABEL
• To achieve significant environmental
improvements. It foresees this by developing,
publishing and promoting criteria that will
push the market forward, in order to minimize
the environmental impacts of a wide range of
products and services over their whole life-
cycle;

47. MAIN AIMS OF ECO-LABEL
• To ensure the credibility of the award by
efficient administration and through criteria
which are environmentally strong, are based
on good science, including the precautionary
principle, take account of consumer health;
require good product performance, are
developed transparently and cost-effectively,
with the participation of stakeholders, are
reasonably attainable, and are up to date;

48. MAIN AIMS OF ECO-LABEL
• To encourage manufacturers, retailers and
service providers to apply for the award, to
publicize their own participation in the
scheme, and to promote the availability of
eco-labeled products and information about
them;
• To encourage purchasers to buy products and
services with the award;
• To improve consumer awareness and behavior
regarding the environmentally optimal use of
products and services.

49. ADVANTAGES OF THE EU FLOWER
LABEL
• The European Flower label offers several
characteristics that offer advantages to
producers and retailers. It has a high
reputation based on strong and reliable
criteria and is a guarantee for high
environmental performance. Putting the eco-
label on textile products means that they have
the following assets:

50. ADVANTAGES OF THE EU FLOWER
LABEL
• Reduce water and air pollution during fiber
production.
• Limited use of substances which are harmful to
the environment and in particular to the aquatic
environment and health.
• Guarantee of shrink resistance during washing and
drying.
• Guarantee of color resistance to perspiration,
washing, wet and dry rubbing, and light exposure.
• Whole production chain covered.

51. ADVANTAGES OF THE EU FLOWER
LABEL
• Other advantages of the EU Flower label include:
• It is supported by public authorities.
• It is certified by an independent Competent Body.
• It is easy to spot.
• It is scientifically based.
• The quality of the product is guaranteed to be at least
as good as equivalent products with no environmental
benefits.
• It covers all the main environmental impacts of a
product over its life-cycle.
• It is recognized in all the EU countries plus Norway
and Iceland

52. EU-ECOLABEL AND OTHER NATIONAL
ECO-LABELS
• Even though national labels have been a very
successful experience and have certainly
contributed to the environmental awareness
of people, the progress towards a single
market needs a common instrument that
prevents confusion amongst consumers and
producers.

53. EU-ECOLABEL AND OTHER NATIONAL
ECO-LABELS
• One of the main ideas behind the creation of
the EU Eco-label was to provide information
that would be consistent across the whole EU.
The EU Eco-label is the result of a common
policy - all Member States are asked to
approve the ecological criteria - which should
therefore be the reference for consumers.

54. EU-ECOLABEL AND OTHER NATIONAL
ECO-LABELS
• The advantage of the EU Eco-label is that it
promotes transparency and simplicity, since
the criteria applied to a product remains the
same, regardless of the Member State in
which it is produced or sold.
• The EU Eco-label and national eco-labels can
co-exist happily. When a product has been
awarded with both national and EU eco-
labels, you will find the two logos displayed
side by side on the product.

55. EU ECOLABEL AND ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT SCHEMES
• Environmental management schemes such as
ISO 14001 are focused on the general
environmental performance of the company.
• Eco-labeling schemes like the EU eco-label
focus on the specific products or services of
the firm.

56. EU-ECOLABEL AND TEXTILE INDUSTRY
• Many textiles and clothing exporters have
already started answering to developed
countries environmental concerns by
awarding foreign Ecolabel-largely the Oekotex-
on their products.
• The EU is a major market and hence these
certifications have brought several market
advantages including market access, higher
price and overall quality improvements.

57. EU-ECOLABEL AND TEXTILE INDUSTRY
• It is felt that in future, an EU-wide label like
the ‘EU Flower’ would be better, as it will have
wider acceptance in Green procurement
schemes of Governments within the EU,
besides the fact that its comprehensive
criteria can better protect the domestic
environment as well.

58. GREEN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT
• Basing all purchasing decisions and allocation of
contracts on environmental criteria along with other
criteria such as price and quality.
• The easiest way to do Green Public Procurement is
to use the European Eco-label.
• Companies which pride themselves on
environmental stewardship and thoughtful care of
the environment may use green procurement,
among many other tactics, to ensure that they do
business in an environmentally responsible way.

59. GREEN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT
• Within a procurement department, green
procurement can involve changes in department
procedure which are designed to benefit the
environment. For example, rather than having
people submit purchase orders and requests on
paper, the procurement department might
switch to electronic methods of communication
so that paper is not wasted. The department
might also engage in environmentally friendly
activities like reducing energy usage, keeping
plants around the office to improve air quality.

60. GREEN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT
• During the procurement process, green
procurement involves seeking out products
which are manufactured sustainably.

61. ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF EU
ECO-LABELLED PRODUCTS
• A study conducted in 2004 on the Direct and
Indirect benefits of the EU Eco-label, showed
that with only a modest five percent market
share for EU eco-labeled products in the
European Union, the savings comparing to
typically performing versions (standard
products) would be substantial, including the
following:

62. RESOURCE SAVED /AVOIDED PER
YEAR
Amount saved per year
Electricity 14,700,000 kWh
CO2 produced from energy use 9,318,000 tonnes CO2
Water use 12,285,000 million litres
Reduced use of hazardous
substances
13,800 tonnes
Materials savings (other than
hazardous substances)
530,700 tonnes of materials
Reduced discharges to water 30,400 tonnes of COD
Reduced air pollution 17,500 tonnes of pollutants

63. SIZE OF THE MARKET OF EUROPEAN
ECO-LABELLED PRODUCTS
– 260 holders as of September 2005
– About 2500 articles split in 23 product groups
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Number of companies
Millions of articles/items sold