OETS 100 Textile Safety for Children Part 1 EN - Oeko-Tex

SPECIALIST RETAILERS | PART 1
Know-how for the sales professional
Textile safety for children
UV protection
Safe fastenings
Testing for harmful substances
Ease of care
Flammability
Quality labels
Wearing and sleeping comfort
Warning clothing
Wind- and waterproofing
Enter by 15.05.2012 at www.oeko-tex.com/salespro

KNOW-HOW FOR THE SALES PROFESSIONAL
Always close at hand –
textile safety for children
An interview with Prof. Dr. Dirk Höfer of the Hohenstein Institute in
Bönnigheim, Human biologist, textile expert and father of two children
Interview with Prof. Dr. Dirk Höfer
What role do textiles play in
the life of a child?
Prof. Dr. Höfer: Children are surrounded
by textiles for virtually 24 hours a day,
every day. In the case of clothing and
equipment, of course, the focus is on
protection from outside influences like
the weather. From the very first day of
life, textile materials always give a feeling
of being protected. The same is true of
their first toys which are usually also
made of textiles. Textiles are soft and
supple, fulfil all kinds of functions and,
not least, create a sense of identity with
their colours and patterns.
Textiles for children have to
be safe – what aspects do you
take into account?
Prof. Dr. Höfer: On the one hand, there
is passive safety, i.e. the textiles must
not pose any kind of threat to children
from harmful substances, cords, easy
flammability etc. On the other hand,
though, textiles can also actively keep a
child safe, e.g. by protecting it from strong
sunlight or by using warning colours to
protect from danger in traffic. Textiles
with an antimicrobial treatment can bring
children with neurodermatitis some relief
and even go beyond protecting from risk
towards delivering a treatment.
How can we recognize safe
textiles?
Prof. Dr. Höfer: Certain aspects like the
presence of dangerous cords or the
positioning of reflectors can be assessed
by eye by the retailer. Many hazards,
though, such as harmful substances
or easy flammability, can only be ruled
out by experts, and sometimes only in
complex laboratory tests. Incidentally,
the same also applies to many other
quality criteria such as how comfortable
they are to wear or sleep in, and
additional safety-relevant functions such
as the UV protection factor of textiles or
antimicrobial treatments. Here, product
labelling can be a valuable guide for
retailers and consumers.
What criteria should product
labels meet in order to play
this role?
Prof. Dr. Höfer: It is important that the
relevant certification processes are carried
out by independent test institutes on
the basis of internationally standardised
test methods. Only then are the results
comparable.
To try to help a bit, my colleagues and I
have put together a checklist for sales staff
in specialist retail shops. From October,
this will be available to download from
www.oeko-tex.com/salespro – in Part 2
of the Basic Knowledge leaflet, “Textile
safety for children”.
© axelhess.com

Products tested for harmful substances
for delicate children’s skin
Children’s sensitive skin
Only by the end of puberty does
human skin have all its own protective
mechanisms. That is why independent
testing for harmful substances is
particularly important for textiles
coming into contact with children’s
delicate skin. Safety when buying
textiles is provided by the OEKO-
TEX® Standard 100 system with its
“Confidence in textiles – tested for
harmful substances” label endorsing
millions of products since 1992.
Dermis Epidermis
Sweat gland
Horny cuticle
Pigmentforming cells
Skin cells
Langerhans' cells
Capillaries
Merkel cells
Veins
and
arteries
Safe textiles
Depending on the purpose for which
they are to be used, textiles are
divided into four product classes.
The closer the skin contact, the
higher the specifications. There are
especially strict requirements for
textiles for babies and toddlers up to
the age of 3 years. Special attention
is paid to ensuring that no harmful
substances can be released in saliva
or perspiration.
Tested quality
The over 100 test parameters which
are checked by the independent test
institutes include excluding banned
azo dyes, carcinogenic and allergenic
dyes, pesticides and heavy metal
contamination (e.g. nickel). Softeners
(phthalates) and formaldehyde must
not exceed a strict limit value. The
textiles must also be colour-fast and
have a skin-friendly pH value.
Help with product selection
One of the reasons why the
“Confidence in Textiles” label has
established itself as a reliable
decision-making aid for shoppers
is because a product can only bear
the label if all the components
without exception meet the relevant
requirements of the list of criteria.
For example, children’s trousers will
only be certified if not only the fabric
but also the buttons, zips, yarns
and so on that are used have been
successfully tested. This means that
the “Confidence in Textiles” label
stands for all-round security when
buying textile products of all kinds –
regardless of where the textiles were
produced.

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Functionality with no regrets
In order to be able to serve all kinds of
functions, today’s clothes use all kinds
of materials and textile treatments
such as dyes, prints and coatings. That
is why, under the OEKO-TEX Standard
100, all the components, materials
and treatments are tested against the
more than 100 parameters in the list
of criteria.
You can find some examples of
the OEKO-TEX® test criteria in
the photo on the right.
Flocking
Material: Viscose
Possible contamination
with extractable heavy
metals, banned azo dyes
Football shirt
printed and flocked
Material: Polyester
Possible contamination with
phthalates (from plastisol
prints), tin organic
compounds
Football trousers
Material: Polyester
Possible contamination with
allergenic dispersion dyes
Socks
Material: Polyester & Elastan
Possible contamination with
polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAH)

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Keep fingers away from
cords and drawstrings
To avoid escalators and playgrounds
becoming potential death-traps, cords
and fastenings must be designed to
be safe. The standard DIN EN 14682
“Safety of children‘s clothing – cords
and drawstrings on children‘s clothing”
contains recommendations about how
the fastenings on garments for children
up to the age of 14 should be designed.
Responsible manufacturers can confirm
that their products are designed in
accordance with the “Cord standard”
by obtaining a certificate from an
independent institute.
The requirements
of the “Cord standard”
In general, the ends of drawstrings/
cords, must not have any decoration
or be knotted. Safe alternatives are
secured or fused cord ends.
Zip fasteners must not be more than
75 mm in length.
Neck:
Garments must not have
drawstrings with loose ends.
Adjusting tapes are permitted, but
must not be longer than 75 mm.
Safe alternatives:
Young child:
- Hood with elastic straps inside
the edge of the hood
Older child:
- Adjustment tapes with a
maximum length of 75 mm
- Width controlled by a pushbutton
toggle
Chest and waist
General:
Drawstrings at the waist must be
secured with a cord stop.
Safe alternatives
- Drawstrings secured in the middle
with elasticated waistband.
- Decorative trim only on the front
© Joujou_pixelio.de
Long trousers
General:
On garments reaching to the
ankle, any decorative or functional
cords on the lower edge must be
fully enclosed inside the garment.
Age groups under
the “Cord standard”
Safe alternatives
- No decorative or functional cords
on the lower hem
- Can be pulled tight using pushbutton
Young child:
0–7 years or up to 134 cm tall
Older child:
7–14 years or 135 – 182 cm tall

ANZEIGE
© Pakhay Oleksandr - Fotolia.com
Front and back
General:
No drawstrings or decorative or
functional cords which come out at
the back or have to be fastened at
the back.
- Sashes must not extend more
than 360 mm beyond the
fastening. Measured untied
and from the point to which
they are tied.
None
Safe alternatives
In the “Know-how for the
sales professional” series,
the following titles have
already been published
and can be downloaded
from www.oeko-tex.com/
salespro
General
General:
Loose ends of drawstrings/cords
must not have any decorative trim
or knot.
- Zip fasteners must be no longer
than 75 mm
Safe alternatives
- Secured or fused cord ends
FACHHANDEL
KNOW-HOW FÜR DEN VERKAUFSPROFI
Basiswissen Textilien & Babyhaut
“Textiles & baby skin”
“Textile safety for children” Part 2
(online shortly)
UV protection
Warning clothing
Flammability
Wearing and sleeping comfort
Use your knowledge to score points and win!
In the year of the summer Olympics, measure your specialist knowledge
against colleagues from all over Europe in the “OEKO-TEX® SalesPro
Games 2012”. The best sales staff in various product categories will be
able to enjoy a trip to London to the Olympic Games or one of several
valuable material prizes.
www.oeko-tex.com/salespro
More information and contact: International OEKO-TEX® Association | Secretariat | Gotthardstrasse 61 | Postfach 2156 | CH-8027 Zürich | info@oeko-tex.com |
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