OEKO-TEX Certification: What It Means for Fabric Sourcing
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 tests for over 350 harmful substances including pesticides, heavy metals, formaldehyde, and allergenic dyes. Product classes: Class I (babies, highest standard), Class II (direct skin contact), Class III (no direct skin contact), Class IV (home textiles). Certification is valid for 12 months with annual renewal audit.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 tests for over 350 harmful substances including pesticides, heavy metals, formaldehyde, and allergenic dyes. Product classes: Class I (babies, highest standard), Class II (direct skin contact), Class III (no direct skin contact), Class IV (home textiles). Certification is valid for 12 months with annual renewal audit.
Definizione
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is an international certification system that tests textile products for harmful substances. It covers all production stages and four product classes based on skin contact.
Il problema
Your buyer requires OEKO-TEX certification but you are not sure what it covers, how to verify it, or whether your supplier's certification is valid.
Come funziona
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is the world's most recognized textile certification for harmful substances. It tests for regulated and non-regulated substances that may be harmful to human health. Testing includes restricted azo dyes, formaldehyde, heavy metals, phthalates, pesticides, chlorinated phenols, and more. The certification is product-specific and factory-specific. Each certified product has a unique certificate number verifiable on the OEKO-TEX database.
La soluzione
Request the supplier's OEKO-TEX certificate and verify using the online OEKO-TEX database. Check that the certificate: 1) covers your specific product type, 2) is currently valid (12-month validity), 3) has the correct product class. Renew certificates annually.
Confronti chiave
Guide correlate
La nostra raccomandazione
Seekingtex maintains current OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification for all standard performance fabrics. We provide certificate copies with every shipment and support new certification for custom developments.
Domande frequenti
Is OEKO-TEX mandatory? ▼
Not legally mandatory, but required by many European and North American brands and retailers for compliance assurance.
How long does OEKO-TEX certification take? ▼
Initial certification takes 4-8 weeks including testing. Annual renewal takes 2-4 weeks.
What product classes exist? ▼
Class I (baby products, most stringent), Class II (direct skin contact, e.g. t-shirts), Class III (no direct skin contact, e.g. jackets), Class IV (home textiles, e.g. curtains).
Does OEKO-TEX cover environmental production? ▼
No — OEKO-TEX Standard 100 covers product safety only. For environmental production standards, look for Bluesign or OEKO-TEX STeP.