he STeP by OEKO-TEX sustainable textile production certification is a system certification officially issued by OEKO-TEX in June 2013. It is a new upgrade to the Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 eco-friendly factory certification launched in 1995. STeP by OEKO-TEX is an independent certification system for brands, retailers and manufacturers in the textile industry, ensuring that the public is communicated in a transparent and credible manner to achieve more sustainable production conditions. Work hard.

The STeP by OEKO-TEX standard applies to the certification of production plants throughout the textile and leather production chain.

For textiles, from fiber production, spinning, woven knit production to finishing and garment manufacturers, textile logistics centers, and production plants for every stage of production of accessories, foam and mattress manufacturers.

For leather, including production plants from ashing to retanning, dyeing, fatliquoring and finishing plants, as well as leather sewing, leather logistics centers and accessories manufacturers.

The modular support of STeP certification provides a comprehensive analysis and assessment of all relevant business areas, including the use of environmental technologies and products, the efficient use of resources, and compliance with social work conditions. In addition to the full STeP certification, an internal STeP assessment is also available, allowing the company to conduct an initial sustainability assessment. The system certification will assess the applicants from six aspects, quality management, chemicals management, environmental management, environmental protection, social responsibility, health and safety. The goal of STeP certification is to achieve permanent environmentally friendly production processes and safe, socially recognized working conditions in the production of the textile industry chain. Regular updates to the STeP standard help certified companies continuously improve their environmental performance and social responsibility and increase their productivity. In short, this will promote their most competitive position in the market.

The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 was developed in 1992 by the Hohenstein Research Association of Germany and the Vienna-Austrian Textile Research Association. There are now 13 testing associations whose main task is to detect the hazardous substances in textiles and to determine their safety. The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is now used as an ecological logo for a wide range of textiles.

Most textiles and fabrics have no real harm to humans. However, people still want to buy fabrics, bedding, and home textiles that have been tested to determine that they are not contaminated with harmful substances in any way. This does not mean that textiles are not treated with chemicals.

The European Textile Research Association has accumulated years of work experience in order to obtain the standards for measuring the ecological quality of textiles in an objective and scientific way. The standards set by the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 are based on the latest scientific knowledge and set limits on the hazardous substances content of yarns, fibres and various types of textiles. Only manufacturers that provide provable quality assurance in accordance with rigorous testing and inspection procedures are permitted to use the Oeko-Tex label on their products.

The International Association for Textile Ecology Research and Testing guarantees that Oeko-Tex Standard 100 follows its commitment to trust textiles.

The value of MADE IN GREEN certification by OEKO-TEX can be considered in two ways: consumers, and industrial and retail, which add value to consumers and industry and retail.

Firstly, innovative leaders who want to promote new features and capabilities can use the tag directly on their products to document and highlight their close partnerships with suppliers.

Reliable supplier relationships are often a key factor in the successful implementation of sustainability, such as product quality, regular education and employee training, and improved working conditions. The MADE IN GREEN label allows consumers to see all of this.

Companies wishing to make the entire supply chain transparent can use the MADE IN GREEN label as a sign of trust, indicating that their suppliers in countries such as China, India and Bangladesh also adhere to agreed quality standards and professional ethics.

The MADE IN GREEN label provides information on the current sustainability of its entire supply chain. Companies can also use this name to demonstrate continuous improvement as they are committed to greater sustainability at their respective production sites.

Control test

As with all OEKO-TEX-compliant STANDARD 100 certified textiles, there are also controlled tests on the MADE IN GREEN label and random inspections during the assault company visit.

For example, an unannounced company audit is to verify that existing STeP certifications meet environmental and social standards.

The second is what value to add to consumers. MADE IN GREEN on the OEKO-TEX label shows consumers the testing and sustainable production of hazardous substances in textiles, in accordance with OEKO-TEX guidelines.

Each product certified with the MADE IN GREEN label also has a unique product ID or QR code that provides consumers with full traceability and transparency. The labeling system allows them to obtain information about the production facilities on the textile chain for the production of textiles, the stage of production of the fabric and the country in which the product is produced.

Company review

The audit of participating production facilities is an important part of every certification process for STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX and STeP certification.

All STeP-certified production facilities are audited prior to OEKO-TEX certification. After that, all STeP facilities are subject to periodic compliance audits and additional surprise audits of the company. Since the production facility can only reach Level 1 of the Level 3 scoring system, two surprise audits will be conducted within three years. At the level 2 company, a surprise audit will be conducted.

Legality

The MADE IN GREEN label for the OEKO-TEX label is for one year and must be reissued.

To sum up: the value of MADE IN GREEN certification by OEKO-TEX is immeasurable.

This article focuses on the STeP certification process and how long it takes for certification to be completed.

The process of STeP certification can be roughly divided into 7 steps:

Step 1: Interested companies can contact one of the global OEKO-TEX® agencies (contact offices) and provide certification applications or register on the STeP platform.

Step 2: OEKO-TEX provides access to the evaluation tools for the company.

Step 3: The company completed an electronic questionnaire.

Step 4: OEKO-TEX analyzes and evaluates the data.

Step 5: The OEKO-TEX auditor visits the production facility and verifies the information provided in the questionnaire.

Step 6: OEKO-TEX creates a detailed report on the audit results and - if the required criteria are met - issues the STeP certificate to the requesting company.

Step 7: Upon receipt of the certificate, the company has the right to communicate its STeP certification to the public and use it commercially.

How long does the STeP certification procedure take?

Certification usually takes three months from application, data collection and data evaluation to auditing and issuance of certificates. However, the duration of the actual certification process depends on the specifics of each production facility. For example, this includes whether the certification for each business area already exists, or the speed at which the required data can be determined and provided.

The responsibility of STeP certification lies with the international OEKO-TEX Association and its 18 member institutions and representative offices in more than 60 countries around the world. The OEKO-TEX organization recognizes the wide range of capabilities of independent textile testing and research institutes and long-term experience with specific conditions in the textile and apparel industry. Therefore, all production stages of the production facilities can be STeP certified, from fiber production, spinning mills, weaving mills, knitting factories to finishing equipment and ready-made textile manufacturers.

OEKO-TEX Standard 100, a globally unified independent testing and certification system, abbreviated: OEKO-TEX 100. It is one of the OEKO-TEX certifications.

It has a wide range of applications. Raw materials and dyed, finished yarns, woven and knitted fabrics can be certified by OEKO-TEX 100, while buttons, zippers, sewing threads and labels in accessories are also certifiable. There are also various types of ready-made products (various types of clothing, home and home) textiles, bedding, terry products and the like. Therefore, OEKO-TEX 100 certification is certifiable as long as it is a processing grade of raw materials, semi-finished and finished textile products, and the auxiliary materials used.

Since the launch of the OEKO-TEX certification, the core focus of the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is to develop test standards, limits and test methods based on science. The OEKO-TEX 100 standard takes into account some important elements based on its comprehensive and rigorous list of measures and hundreds of controlled individual substances:

1. First, according to important legal regulations, such as banned azo dyes, formaldehyde, pentachlorophenol, cadmium, nickel, etc.

2. Many harmful chemicals, even if they are not yet regulated by law.

3. The US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) requires lead.

4. The requirements of Annexes XVII and XIV of the European Chemical Regulations REACh and the ECHA SVHC Candidate List are evaluated by the OEKO-TEX® Association's expert group and relate to fabrics, textiles, clothing or accessories. By reviewing the STEARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® requirements, consider discussions and developments that are considered relevant as quickly and efficiently as possible.

5. Requirements for many environmentally relevant substance categories.

OEKO-TEX certification with its decades of experience, STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX is truly consumer-friendly and contributes to efficient and effective product safety. In many cases, test standards and limits go well beyond applicable national and international standards. Extensive product inspections and regular company site visits also ensure the industry's global sustainability awareness of responsible use of chemicals. With this concept, OEKO-TEX 100 has made OEKO-TEX a pioneering role for many years.

1. What is MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX？

MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX is a traceable product label that applies exclusively to textiles:

Made with materials tested

for harmful substances.

Made in environmentally

friendly facilities.

Made in safe and socially

responsible workplaces.

The MADE IN GREEN product label can be awarded to any kind of textile product anywhere in the world at any stage of the textile supply chain.

Labelled products can be easily traced, thus offering new levels of transparency to consumers and business partners alike.

2. Who can apply for the MADE IN GREEN label？

Any company within the textile supply chain can apply for the MADE IN GREEN label.

3. What are the benefits for labelling products with MADE IN GREEN？

The MADE IN GREEN product label communicates that MADE IN GREEN textiles are not only tested for harmful substances (certified according toSTANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX) but also sustainably produced in accordance with OEKO-TEX guidelines. It is a means of benchmarking thesupply chain and providing an overview of every component of the production stream. The label enables consumers to make sustainable purchasingdecisions.

4. What are the OEKO-TEX? guidelines？

The OEKO-TEX guidelines refer to certain criteria defined in the MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX Standard. These can be found in the download area onour webpage. The criteria state which components and facilities must hold two separate OEKO-TEX certifications in order to get the MADE IN GREEN byOEKO-TEX label. The first certification system is STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX, which verifies that the final textile product has been tested for morethan 300 harmful substances. The second is STeP by OEKO-TEX, a certification system for sustainable textile production, which analyses and evaluatesexisting production conditions with respect to the use of environmentally friendly technologies and products as well as safe and socially responsibleworkplaces. You can find further information on the guidelines for both certifications in the MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX Standard.

5. Can I use a MADE IN GREEN label as proof of my sustainability strategy？

Yes, absolutely. MADE IN GREEN shows not only a commitment to sustainable textile production, but also the actual implementation of this process. The mostcritical stages must be STeP-certified. With a MADE IN GREEN label, companies verify that their textile product has been tested for harmful substances andsustainably produced in accordance with OEKO-TEX? guidelines.

6. What are the conditions for labelling a product with MADE IN GREEN？

Requirements and criteria for marketing MADE IN GREEN on textile products that consumers buy at retail:

1) The product shall be STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX certified.

2) All the making up facilities shall be SteP by OEKO-TEX certified.

3) A single component that equals or exceeds 5% of the total weight ofthe product as well as at least 85% of the total weight of the productshall be supplied by STeP by OEKO-TEX certified production facilities.

The full name of the STeP certification is STEP by OEKO-TEX certification, OEKO-TEX's sustainable textile production, a certification system for brands, retail companies and textile manufacturers who want to communicate to the public in a transparent, reliable and clear way, demonstating its achievements in sustainable manufacturing processes.

Production facilities at all stages of processing can be certified, from fiber production, spinning mills, weaving mills, knitting mills to finishing equipment and ready-made textile manufacturers.

Through modular analysis of all relevant company areas, such as chemical management, environmental performance, environmental management, occupational health and safety, social responsibility and quality management, STeP certification provides a comprehensive and reliable analysis of the degree of sustainable management provided by production. facility.

The goal of STeP certification is to permanently implement environmentally friendly production processes, optimal health and safety, and socially acceptable working conditions. The dynamic development of STeP standards and benchmarks enables certification companies to continuously improve their environmental performance and social responsibility and efficiency. This in turn allows them to get the best competitive position in the market.

Advantages of STeP certification:

Advantages of brands and retailers

STeP allows globally operating brands and retail companies to find the right suppliers to meet their environmental and social responsibility requirements on a global scale. This allows them to clearly and completely document their shared sustainability commitment to end consumers along with the supply chain.

Advantages of production facilities

Textile and apparel manufacturers can increase the efficiency of their production processes based on STeP certification. Our systems help them determine the company's position in sustainability and show areas for improvement. Independent certification of sustainable production conditions also provides an image boost that enables companies to open up new market and supplier relationships.

OEKO-TEX certified green products are a independent textile label that highlights consumer and semi-finished products at all levels of the textile chain. These products are made from non-hazardous materials and produced with environmentally friendly processes, under safe and socially responsible working conditions.

Basically, any finished textiles and semi-finished products at all levels of the textile supply chain are available by getting the OEKO-TEX label for MADE IN GREEN, including a variety of clothing and furniture.

OEKO-TEX certified hazardous substances testing is basically based on the respective use of textiles and materials. The more frequent the skin contact of the product, the more sensitive for the skin, and the stricter the human ecological requirements to be observed.

Therefore, four product categories are distinguished:

Product Category I:

Infants and toddlers under 3 years of age (underwear, rompers, clothes, bedding, terry products, etc.).

Product Category II:

Items close to the skin (underwear, bedding, t-shirts, socks, etc.).

Product Category III:

Items away from the skin (jacket, jacket, etc.).

Product Category IV:

Decorative/furniture materials (curtains, tablecloths, upholstery covers, etc.).

According to the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified product in OEKO-TEX, all parts of the article meet the required standards, except for external fabrics such as sewing threads, inserts, printing, etc., as well as non-woven accessories such as buttons, Zippers, rivets, etc.

Other prerequisites are the existence and application of business quality assurance measures, as well as the applicant's signature of legally binding commitments and declarations of conformity.

OEKO-TEX certified for all processing grades of raw materials, semi-finished and finished textile products, and auxiliary materials used