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The OEKO-TEX® Association has updated the applicable test criteria and limit values for testing textiles for harmful substances according to OEKO-TEX Standard 100, which took effect as of Jan. 1, 2012. The new requirements will come into force on April 1, 2012. The regular re-evaluation of the test parameters is based on current market and product developments, new toxicological findings and new legal requirements; also covered REACh legislation, including the SVHC substances relevant to textile manufacturing which have been added in 2011.
In order to allow companies time to implement any necessary changes in their production, the requirements will only come into force definitively after a transition period on April 1, 2013. This regulation does not apply to companies certified according to OEKO-TEX Standard 1000, who already comply with the required criteria.
In addition to the new test parameters, the scope of the control tests on OEKO-TEX-certified products carried out throughout the world is being extended to cover 20 percent of all certificates issued annually in the future, as opposed to the minimum 15 percent tested to date. In practice, over recent years, an average of 18 percent of certificates have been tested using product samples taken from the shops at the expense of the OEKO-TEX Association.
A new complement to the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is now also available, making it possible to certify special products such as tents, prams, office chairs or rucksacks according to OEKO-TEX Standard 100 in the future. More detailed information on the new version of the OEKO-TEX criteria catalogue may be obtained from the OEKO-TEX Secretariat, e-mail: info@oeko-tex.com.