policy initiatives - Textile Magazine

technology
obliged to comply with the defined
limit values in all certification processes.
By also regulating these substances
under the product-related OEKO-
TEX Standard 100, the OEKO-TEX
Association expects to have a significant
impact on the global textile
chain so that the use of these kinds
of tensides will be considerably reduced.
In order to start helping to
eliminate alkylphenolethoxylates
even sooner, the OEKO-TEX Association
will begin testing for alkylphenolethoxylates
straightaway as
part of its regular control tests, and
during company audits it will be
helping certificate-holders to identify
at this early stage the possible
sources of this group of substances
in their delivery chain, and to find
substitutes.
Alkylphenolethoxylates have
been excluded since 1995 under the
production-based certification of environmentally-friendly
production
sites in accordance with the OEKO-
TEX Standard 1000, and are tested
for accordingly by the OEKO-TEX
General Managers of Oeko-Tex institutes meeting in Delhi
member-institutes.
The OEKO-TEX General Managers
attending the meeting in Delhi
were also unanimous in agreeing to
extend the scale of regular control
testing of certified products worldwide
from the current level of at
least 15 per cent of all certificates
issued annually to 20 per cent in future.
In practice, in recent years an
average of 18 per cent of the certificates
have already been tested at the
OEKO-TEX Association’s own expense,
using product samples taken
from retailers.
Another innovation that was introduced
at the meeting was a supplement
listing additional specifications
which would enable special
articles such as tents, buggies or
push-chairs, office chairs and rucksacks
to be certified under the OE-
KO-TEX Standard 100, with immediate
effect.
Finally, the heads of the OEKO-
TEX institutes announced that the
forthcoming 20th anniversary of
testing for harmful substances under
the OEKO-TEX Standard 100
would be appropriately marked by
some special promotions. Planned
projects include a re-launch of the
existing 16-language website at
www.oeko-tex.com, a specialist
international conference, a Knowledge
Olympics for specialist retailers
in eight European countries and
a competition for a media and corporate
prize on the theme of sustainability.
India has issued 624 currently
valid OEKO-TEX certificates, thus
being the fifth in an international
comparison of the countries issuing
the most certificates, behind
China, Germany, Turkey and Italy.
Since the first OEKO-TEX branch
office was opened in India in 2005,
demand for OEKO-TEX product
certifications from local companies
at all stages of the processing chain
has increased steadily and continues
to do so.
Customer enquiries are now handled
by four OEKO-TEX agencies,
in Mumbai, Delhi, Tirupur and
Ahmedabad, with a further office in
Sri Lanka.
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The Textile Magazine jANUARY 2012 | 57