The Oeko-Tex Association published two supplements to Oeko-Tex Standard 100 to add to its already existing product portfolio – an updated version of the already existing Supplement for Special Articles, and a new Supplement for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Materials for PPE.

Personal protective equipment is a highly specialized market segment in which the protective function of the available products is of crucial importance. To deflect or minimize potentially life threatening hazards by using protective clothing, for example, special materials have to be used.

These materials (fibres, yarns, fabrics) usually have to be manufactured in special conditions with little scope for deviation or alternatives. In order to take this into greater account, the Oeko-Tex Association decided to publish the new, independent Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Supplement Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Materials for PPE, which covers this specialized market segment.

Criteria for PPE clothing

The majority of the criteria for PPE clothing and materials are still derived from the Standard 100 criteria catalogue. However, exceptions have been defined for certain substances (not least already on the basis of planned developments at a European level under REACh), including PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and its salts, and PFOA-related substances, the association reports.

This was done to take special requirements for a range of important protective materials and functions into account. The supplement also addresses diverse solvents and pigments separately.

Special articles

The years-old Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Supplement for Special Articles was also extensively revised during the development of the PPE supplement. This supplement is valid for such special articles that do not represent a “traditional” product within the application area of Standard 100, the association reports. These include children’s push chairs, suitcases, rucksacks, orthopedic articles, curtain kits, chairs and couches, etc.

The Special Articles supplement defines the special conditions for the certification of complex and specific article groups of this kind. However, it is only valid for market-ready finished/end products. Raw materials in preliminary stages by contrast cannot be certified. One special feature of the Special Articles supplement is the fact that for various special articles, different components (usually non-textile) are excluded from the tests and thus are not taken into account.

Further reading

Supplement Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Materials for PPE

Supplement Special Articles

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