Information on data protection

We, OEKO-TEX Service GmbH (Genferstrasse 23, 8002 Zurich, Switzerland), operate the website www.oeko-tex.com and are therefore responsible for handling your personal data. As an OEKO-TEX® customer or potential customer, you expect a high level of quality not only from our certifications but also in relation to how we handle your data. The proper handling of your data is also an especially important concern to us. With that in mind, we of course follow the statutory provisions of data protection law.

Please see the information provided below to learn about how we handle your personal data. It is important to us that you always know which personal data is obtained during your visit to our website and the purposes for which it is processed:

Contact Requests

We and our service providers process the information in your contact requests so that we can respond to your request. We base this on our legitimate interest to be able to answer incoming requests.

OEKO-TEX® Extranet/Customer Services

We and our service providers process the information you provide when using the OEKO-TEX® Extranet/customer services for the purpose of giving you access and performing your requested functions. This usually takes place in the context of a contract between us. Furthermore, we rely on our legitimate interest to be able to operate the Extranet / customer services.

E-Mail Advertising

With your consent, which can be withdrawn at any time, you will receive e-mail information from us and our service providers regarding OEKO-TEX® products (such as textile or leather certifications, labels, etc.), on topical events organised by OEKO-TEX® and on legal developments in the respective industry. We and our service providers will use the data that you provide in addition to your e-mail address when giving consent to address you personally.

Declining Advertising

If you want us to stop processing your data for advertising purposes or want to revoke any consent that you granted, simply send a brief message by e-mail to datenschutz@oeko-tex.com or by post to OEKO-TEX Service GmbH, Genferstrasse 23, 8002 Zurich, Switzerland.

Cookies

We use cookies in some areas to make our website more user friendly and tailor it to your needs. We do this based on our legitimate interest to provide you with an attractive website. “Cookies” are small files that we transfer to the hard drive on your computer via your web browser or other programs. These files are stored locally on the hard drive on your computer and kept ready to be recalled at a later stage. They allow our system to recognise your browser and make specific services available to you.

Some of the cookies that we use are deleted after the end of the browser session, that is, after you close your browser (these are called session cookies). Other cookies remain on your device and allow us or our partner companies to recognise your browser during your next visit (persistent cookies).

You can configure your browser so that you are informed when cookies are set and you can decide whether to accept them individually, accept cookies in specific cases or forbid them in general (see Allowing or Rejecting Cookies below). If you do not accept cookies, this may limit the functionality of our website.

Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics, a web analysis service provided by Google Inc., USA (“Google”). Google Analytics uses cookies that allow us to analyse your use of the website. The information created by the cookie about your use of this website is usually transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there.

Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activities and to provide us with services related to website usage and internet usage.

In light of the discussion about the use of analysis tools with complete IP addresses, we would like to point out that IP addresses on our website are only processed further in truncated form. By using Google Analytics with the extension “_anonymizeIp()”, we eliminate any personal reference from the data we collect.

You can prevent cookies from being stored by configuring the relevant settings in your browser software. However, we would like to point out that you might not be able to make full use of all of the functions of this website if you do so (see below).

Furthermore, you can prevent the data generated by the cookie regarding your use of the website (including your truncated IP address) from being recorded and prevent this data from being processed by Google by downloading and installing the browser plug-in provided under the following link:

Disable Google Analytics

https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en

Allowing or Rejecting Cookies

You can also choose to allow or reject cookies – including cookies for web tracking – using the settings in your web browser. You can configure your web browser so that it notifies you or rejects cookies in general when the cookies are set. However, you may not be able to continue using a number of different functions on our website.

You can find more information about this option for the most commonly used browsers by following the links below:

Transfer of data to third parties and abroad

To process data we also use, as stated above, service providers. Unless mentioned otherwise, such service providers are located in Switzerland and the EU only.

If your contact request relates to a specific OEKO-TEX® product - and insofar as is necessary to answer your request - we will also share your data with the institute, which carried out the examination in the individual case. A list of the institutes can be found at the following address:

https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/about_oeko_tex/member_institutes/member_institutes.xhtml

For transfers abroad outside Switzerland and the EU, we take the necessary measures to protect your data (such as adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses or certifications), which you are welcome to request.

Duration of processing

We process your data only as long as the respective purpose requires, as we are legally obligated or otherwise have a legitimate interest (e.g. for IT security or evidentiary purposes).

Your rights

In connection with the data we process about you, you may have certain rights. You may, for example, have the right to request information, correction, deletion, transfer of your data or restriction of our processing. You may also revoke your consent for the future or object to any processing by us. If you have any concerns about how we process your data, you are welcome to contact us (datenschutz@oeko-tex.com) or the responsible data protection authority. The Swiss data protection authority is the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (www.edoeb.admin.ch).

Changes

From time to time, it will be necessary to edit the content of this information on data protection. We therefore reserve the right to change this information at any time. We will also publish the changed version of the data protection information here. If you visit us again, you should therefore read through the information on data protection again.

Data security

Working closely with our service providers, we strive to safeguard the confidentiality, availability and integrity of your data, and to give it the best possible protection, particularly from unauthorised or accidental destruction, accidental loss, technical errors, falsification, theft or unlawful use or unauthorized processing. We and our service providers take technical and organisational measures to protect your data.

Edition: December 2018