ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® Certification for Sustainable Textile Chemicals

TSIM SHA TSUI, Hong Kong - Feb. 25, 2016 - PRLog -- Zürich (tm) The International OEKO-TEX® Association has created a new certification system for its portfolio of sustainable textile certifications. ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® is a verification procedure by which manufacturers of textile processing chemicals and chemical compounds, such as dyes, performance additives, finishing agents, lubricants, detergents, etc., are able to confirm that their products can be used in sustainable textile production. The new program is currently in pilot mode and officially launches in early summer 2016.

The ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® certification program is comprised of three assessments which are conducted in a stepwise manner. The results from each stage of evaluation are shared with applicants who can use the data to confirm internal quality control and occupational safety guidelines as well as to reformulate if necessary to create safer, more sustainable formulations.

• First, manufacturers confidentially and securely disclose the chemical substances in their formulas which are compared via CAS number against the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 Restricted Substance List and the STEP by OEKO-TEX® Manufacturing Restricted Substance List. These OEKO-TEX® lists are compliant with REACH and ZDHC guidelines.
• Second, a risk/hazard assessment is conducted in which each ingredient is evaluated against twenty-two health and environmental endpoints.
• Finally, an analytical verification is performed to confirm that the chemical product does not contain unintended by-products or contaminants and meets the criteria for ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® certification.

Products that pass all three phases are granted the ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® certification which indicates that the certified textile chemical is safe to use in OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified textile products and in STeP by OEKO-TEX® certified manufacturing facilities. In this way, ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® chemicals increase textile product and process safety and help protect consumers, textile industry workers, and the environment from the negative impact of potentially harmful substances. Furthermore, the addition of ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® to the OEKO-TEX® portfolio promotes comprehensive stewardship of textile products and processes throughout the supply chain.

The International OEKO-TEX® Association and its sixteen member institutes around the world will be hosting webinars and other learning opportunities soon to ensure clients are aware of the new ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® certification and the many sustainability benefits it offers for textile chemical producers and their customers as well as for the entire textile supply chain.

More about OEKO-TEX®

The International OEKO-TEX® Association, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, was founded in 1992 by the Austrian Textile Research Institute and the German Hohenstein Research Institutes. Currently, its membership includes 16 independent textile research and testing institutes with 52 offices and representation in 60 countries. To date, more than 150,000 OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certificates have been issued—with more than 13,300 issued per year—and 10,000 manufacturers, brands, and retailers in 98 countries are working with OEKO-TEX® to ensure that their products are tested for potentially harmful substances. Now available are the STeP by OEKO-TEX® certification for sustainable textile product manufacturing facilities, the MySTeP by OEKO-TEX® database management tool, and the Made in Green by OEKO-TEX® label for OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified products produced in accordance with OEKO-TEX® guidelines. OEKO-TEX® certified products and suppliers can be located in the OEKO-TEX® Online Buying Guide at www.oeko-tex.com/products (https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/manufacturers/certified_produ...). Connect with OEKO-TEX® on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/oekotex and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/OEKO_TEX_Int.