The Oeko-Tex Association has announced the official launch of the new Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex certification for sustainable textile chemicals.

The six-month pilot phase with manufacturers has been successfully completed. The results were very positive and the first certified textile chemical producers have already accessed the key benefits of the new Eco Passport concept, the association reports.

Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex is designed to offer textile chemical manufacturers a confidential and independent method to reassure their customers that chemicals, colorants, and auxiliaries are in line with the industry’s sustainability requirements and initiatives. Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex certified chemicals aim to protect consumers, textile industry workers, and the environment from the potential dangers of harmful substances.

Eco Passport concept

Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex is a two-step verification procedure by which manufacturers of textile processing chemicals and chemical compounds are able to confirm that their products meet the criteria for environmentally responsible textile production.

Based on customer and market feedback during the six-month pilot test phase, Oeko-Tex modified the original Eco Passport concept to improve functionality. The workflow between applicants, testing institutes, and the Oeko-Tex Secretariat was refined and the certification and lab testing procedures were optimized.

Analysis

Textile chemicals, colorants, and auxiliaries are analysed in a two-step process that confirms that the compounds and each ingredient meet specific criteria for sustainability, safety, and regulatory compliance.

In the initial analysis, chemical compounds are checked against a comprehensive Manufacturing Restricted Substance List (MRSL) that incorporates the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 RSL and the STeP by Oeko-tex MRSL, both of which are compliant with REACH and ZDHC guidelines. Next, the textile chemicals, colorants, and auxiliaries are analysed within a well-reasoned laboratory testing framework to ensure that they do not contain any unsafe contaminants.

Compounds that pass these two 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.

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