The limit values of the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 and OEKO-TEX® LEATHER STANDARD are compliant with the relevant entries of appendix XVII and appendix XIV of the Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) . All substances with textile and leather relevance from European Chemical Agency’s candidate list of substances of very high concern (SVHC) are covered by the STANDARD 100 and OEKO-TEX® LEATHER STANDARD and are thus ensuring that no communication duties are necessary along the supply chain regarding the SVHC substances. However, for some rare examples where SVHC substances are present and cannot be avoided due to technical limitations this is clearly stated in the scope of the certificate and is thus supporting the mandatory communication. Compliance is also insured with the regulation (EU) 2019/1021 of the European parliament and of the council of 20 June 2019 on persistent organic pollutants (POPs regulation) . The OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 has comparable product classes and is compliant with all limit values from the GB 18401. However, the GB 18401 contains also labelling requirements, which are not part of the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 criteria catalogue. Moreover, all OEKO-TEX® partner textile laboratories are CPSC (Consumer Product and Safety Commission of the United States) accredited and therefore a laboratory report for OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 product class 1 articles serves as evidence of compliance regarding the total lead content (CPSIA; with the exception of accessories made from glass) in children's products. Lastly, the OEKO-TEX® team is regularly monitoring the AFIRM (Apparel and Footwear International RSL (Restricted substance list) Management Group), the ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) list, as well as other relevant legal regulations and stakeholder MRSL/RSL lists.

These are different options to certify organic cotton to ensure transparency and clear communication towards the end-consumers. In those certificates the following products can be certified: ORGANIC COTTON: Materials or products made of 100% organic cotton. The certification can be communicated with the OEKO-TEX® ORGANIC COTTON label. ORGANIC COTTON Blended: Materials and products made of at least 70% organic cotton. The certification can be communicated with the OEKO-TEX® ORGANIC COTTON Blended label. STANDARD 100 GMO: any article that contains organic cotton. Proof of the organic origin must be provided. The certification can be communicated with the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 label, stating organic cotton in the certificate text. Mixtures of organic and conventional cotton are forbidden in all three certificates mentioned above.

The certification of a chemical with OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT or an entry by ACP in the ACP-List of OEKO-TEX® gives the right to refer to OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 or other OEKO-TEX® standards where applicable. Without this certification or listing, OEKO-TEX® has no possibility to verify the suitability of this chemical for the use in mentioned context. In such cases, OEKO-TEX® marks are prohibited to be used in any form in direct relation to specific products by the chemical manufacturer or seller. If a chemical manufacturer or seller, however, chooses to refer to OEKO-TEX® standards via a text reference, it is considered as a mere self-declaration by the chemical manufacturer or seller. The chemical manufacturer or seller shall highlight any “self-declarations” regarding the suitability to OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 as an “unverified self-declaration”. Under no circumstances shall such claims be perceived as having been made in the name of or on behalf of OEKO-TEX®. OEKO-TEX® does not accept any liability whatsoever in such cases and any such claim shall not use the OEKO-TEX® trademarks.

No. The O EKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 & LEATHER STANDARD audits will be carried out within the framework of the STeP audits.

Yes, ECO PASSPORT certified chemicals meet all product classes of STANDARD 100 (see ANNEX 4 & 6). Under some circumstances the ECO PASSPORT certificate will have restrictions which are shown transparently. The specified parameters have to be checked on the finished textiles and leathers.

No. The OEKO-TEX® STeP label with your individual certificate number must not be used for product labelling. According to our terms of use, you are only allowed to use the STeP label for B2B communication. More information on the use of the STeP label and our consumer labels OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN, OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 and OEKO-TEX® LEATHER STANDARD can be found in our OEKO-TEX® labelling guide.

The full test program of the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 is carried out to ensure product safety. In addition, tests for GMOs and pesticides are carried out to ensure organic farming. OEKO-TEX® has developed a new quantitative GMO test, which allows to differentiate contamination from mixing in conventional cotton on purpose. In case of a failed qualitative GMO test the quantitative GMO test allows us to check if the failure was due to contamination or not.

The focus of OEKO-TEX® ORGANIC COTTON is to ensure organic origin via GMO & pesticide testing, as well as the chain-of-custody through transaction certificates and consumer safety via testing for harmful substances. Fundamental social criteria are part of the OEKO-TEX® Code of Conduct , which all OEKO-TEX® customers must comply with. To cover social criteria in the full extent OEKO-TEX® ORGANIC COTTON can be combined with OEKO-TEX® STeP which is also part of OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN, our most comprehensive label that is also traceable.

To apply for OEKO-TEX® certification please use the application form from myOEKO-TEX® . To apply for OEKO-TEX® RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS please complete the application form here .

OEKO-TEX® recognises that chemical recipes including bills of substances (BoS) are highly valued, proprietary information. However, OEKO-TEX® requires the publication of all constituent substances and known contaminants / by-products that are regulated by OEKO-TEX® or that are classified as hazardous in accordance with GHS or article 57 of the REACH regulation 1907/2006. By declaring all constituent substances and contaminants, the testing effort is reduced as are the costs for the Analytical Verification of the certification process. The information a chemical producer provides is encrypted and stored by the certifying institute and OEKO-TEX®.