As one of the first companies to adopt the OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN label, Loftex has been leading the change in textile sustainability for over 10 years.
From establishing chemical whitelists to implementing wastewater recycling systems, Loftex's journey shows how textile and production facility certifications can become powerful business drivers while protecting our planet.
Read the interview with Loftex to learn practical steps for implementing OEKO-TEX® certifications and labels in your supply chain.
OEKO-TEX®
You were among the first companies to adopt the OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN label—what convinced you to take that step back then?
Loftex
As one of the first companies to adopt the OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN label, Loftex focused on four key aspects:
1. Enhancing market competitiveness
In the global textile industry, clients from developed markets generally regard OEKO-TEX® certifications as the threshold for supply chain entry. Certified products with MADE IN GREEN labels find it much easier to enter these markets. Loftex implements a unique brand positioning strategy, establishing a "safe and environmentally friendly" brand image through MADE IN GREEN labels, which aligns with consumer demand for more sustainable textiles and enhances product value.
2. Ensuring product safety and compliance
The OEKO-TEX® certification rigorously tests for over 1,000 harmful substances to ensure products meet international legal standards. As a vertical towel manufacturer, Loftex covers the entire supply chain from raw materials to end products, improving quality control to meet market compliance requirements.
3. Sustainable Development
Loftex promotes the transformation towards green production. The OEKO-TEX® STeP certification requires optimisation of chemical management, energy use and waste disposal to achieve a balance between environmental performance and social responsibility. Loftex actively adapts to market changes and the global textile industry's environmental protection requirements.
4. Market Opportunities
As one of the first certified enterprises, Loftex has established a benchmark in the home textile industry. Through the traceability of MADE IN GREEN labels, we strengthen consumer trust, create competitive advantages and support further enterprise development.
Over the past decade, how has the importance of transparency and traceability in your supply chains changed? How has the OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN label supported you?
Over the past decade, Loftex has significantly improved supply chain transparency and traceability through the application of the MADE IN GREEN label.
As the first company worldwide to obtain the MADE IN GREEN label, Loftex has drawn the textile industry's attention to transparent supply chains and become an industry benchmark in energy conservation, emission reduction and more sustainable production. This has prompted increasing numbers of companies to adopt traceability tools to enhance their competitiveness.
Since receiving the MADE IN GREEN label in 2015, Loftex has continued to participate in international environmental protection projects to further enhance supply chain transparency. The environmental protection concept transmitted through the label has also strengthened consumer trust in our brand's social responsibility commitment.
The OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN label reinforces the environmental protection and safety attributes of products. Through its application, Loftex demonstrates that our entire product process—from raw materials to finished products—aligns with international ecological standards. The QR code allows consumers to scan and trace production details, thereby enhancing product information transparency and market competitive advantage.
Which measures did you apply to get your supply chain OEKO-TEX® STeP certified? How did the process benefit you?
Loftex has established a whitelist for chemical sourcing, selecting environmentally friendly dyestuffs and auxiliaries that have passed relevant ecological certification. We optimised the storage and use process of chemicals, set up specialised storage areas and equipped them with leakage emergency equipment to ensure the entire production process meets environmental protection requirements.
We introduced wastewater recycling systems and waste gas purification equipment, enabling most wastewater to be reused and waste gas to be discharged to standard, making our production process environmentally friendly. Simultaneously, Loftex promotes energy-saving equipment, optimises production technology, upgrades automatic dyeing processes, improves production efficiency, and reduces unit energy consumption.
We regularly conduct employee safety training, improve the production environment and provide labour protection facilities to ensure employee safety during production. We have passed third-party social responsibility audits and certifications, such as BSCI and SMETA and continuously strengthen sustainable social responsibility improvements.
OEKO-TEX® STeP certification has become a "passport" for international brand sourcing, helping Loftex enter developed country markets and maintain steady growth. Through energy conservation and emission reduction measures, Loftex reduces operating costs and saves energy costs annually.
If you could give advice to a company considering OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN today, what would you say based on your experience?
Firstly, choose the appropriate OEKO-TEX® certification type according to your product and supply chain positioning.
Enterprises need to establish a strict chemical sourcing system, strengthen chemical management, and prioritise the selection of raw materials that fulfil international environmental standards. Furthermore, companies need to optimise production processes to reduce chemical usage and maintain wastewater and waste gas treatment systems to improve environmental performance and ensure emissions meet OEKO-TEX® standards. They need to upgrade energy-saving equipment and technology to reduce energy consumption.
Over the years, have you seen a shift in consumer expectations regarding transparency?
Absolutely. Transparency has become the core element of brand competitiveness. With the shift from "harmless" to "verifiable", consumers are no longer satisfied with the simple label of "no harmful substances" but are moving towards deeper transparency expectations. Consumer expectations for transparency have evolved from basic compliance to full-link traceability. Companies need to incorporate traceability into their long-term strategies and use OEKO-TEX® certification standards to enhance product information transparency.
How does the OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN label help you communicate trust and accountability to your customers?
The certification is a proof of our social responsibility as it requires production facilities to meet ILO standards, protect labour rights, ensure reasonable salaries and safe working environments.
Companies with MADE IN GREEN labelled products must provide OEKO-TEX® certification documents from auxiliary material suppliers to ensure that chemicals, raw materials and auxiliaries meet ecological safety requirements. This forms a supply chain network with shared responsibility.
The MADE IN GREEN label requires both a STANDARD 100 and a STeP certification. It builds a trust barrier through dual authentication of product safety and production sustainability. The MADE IN GREEN label transforms environmental protection and social responsibility into our trust assets that our customers can verify through traceable data.
About Loftex
Loftex China Ltd. is one of the largest integrated towel manufacturers worldwide, a leading supplier in USA, Australia & Japan and a global supplier with quality and eco-friendly products. Loftex pays high attention to environmental protection management, strictly follow the international industries standards, and actively takes social responsibility. Our products do not contain harmful chemical materials to both human body and environment.
Through the implementation of green development and digitizing workshop, Loftex has established an intelligent and automated system covering warehouse, distribution, supplying, production and financial management. In March 2023 Loftex was awarded the ‘National Green Factory’ by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China.
Loftex applied for the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 Certification in 2002, gained the STep certification in 2014, and received the first B2C OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN label in the world in June 2015. Nowadays, millions of towels with OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN label from Loftex are distributed to each corner of the world.
