ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® Certification for Sustainable Textile Chemicals

2016/02/23

The International OEKO-TEX® Association has created a new certification system for its portfolio of sustainable textile certifications. ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® is a verification procedure by which manufacturers of textile processing chemicals and chemical compounds, such as dyes, performance additives, finishing agents, lubricants, detergents, etc., are able to confirm that their products can be used in sustainable textile production. The new program is currently in pilot mode and officially launches in early summer 2016.

The ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® certification program is comprised of two assessments which are conducted in a stepwise manner. The results from each stage of evaluation are shared with applicants who can use the data to confirm internal quality control and occupational safety guidelines as well as to reformulate if necessary to create safer, more sustainable formulations.

  • First, manufacturers confidentially and securely disclose the chemical substances in their formulas which are compared via CAS number against the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 Restricted Substance List and the STEP by OEKO-TEX® Manufacturing Restricted Substance List. These OEKO-TEX® lists are compliant with REACH and ZDHC guidelines.
  • Finally, an analytical verification is performed to confirm that the chemical product does not contain unintended by-products or contaminants and meets the criteria for ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® certification.

Products that pass all two phases are granted the ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® certification which indicates that the certified textile chemical is safe to use in OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified textile products and in STeP by OEKO-TEX® certified manufacturing facilities. In this way, ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® chemicals increase textile product and process safety and help protect consumers, textile industry workers, and the environment from the negative impact of potentially harmful substances. Furthermore, the addition of ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® to the OEKO-TEX® portfolio promotes comprehensive stewardship of textile products and processes throughout the supply chain.