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 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.

Certification with OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT or inclusion in the ACP-List of OEKO-TEX® allows referencing OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 or other applicable standards. Without this certification or listing, OEKO-TEX® cannot verify the chemical's suitability. In such cases, using OEKO-TEX® marks in any form related to specific products is prohibited by the chemical manufacturer or seller. However, if a chemical manufacturer or seller chooses to refer to OEKO-TEX® standards via text, it is considered a self-declaration. The manufacturer or seller must highlight any "self-declarations" regarding suitability to OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 as an "unverified self-declaration." Such claims cannot be perceived as made on behalf of OEKO-TEX®, and OEKO-TEX® assumes no liability.

No, audits for OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 and LEATHER STANDARD are conducted as part of the STeP audits framework.