What Does the OEKO-TEX® Label Mean? (And How Its Label ...

In short, OEKO-TEX® is comprised of a set of third-party certifications which verify that a product is tested for chemicals that are potentially ... WhatisSustainableFashion? SustainableBrandDirectory Topics Back SustainableFashion GreenBath&Beauty EcoHome&Lifestyle Children&ConsciousParenting Fabrics&Certifications Wedding GiftGuides BrandFeatures WhatDoestheOEKO-TEX®LabelMean?(AndHowItsLabelCheckToolIsIncreasingTransparency)   ThispostissponsoredbyOEKO-TEX®.WeareexcitedtoworkwithOEKO-TEX®becauseoftheircommitmenttomakingnon-toxicandeco-friendlyconsumerproductsmoreaccessiblewiththeirvariouscertificationsandlabelingsystems.Asalways,weonlyrecommendbrandswetrulybelievein. You’veprobablyseentheOEKO-TEX®labelbefore;it’scommonlyfoundonthingsliketowels,bedsheets,andclothing.I’vebeenseeingthelabelmoreoftenatbigboxstoreslikeTarget,whichisreallyexcitingbecauseitmeansthird-partyverifiedeco-friendlyproductsarebecomingmoreaccessibletoallconsumers.Sointhisarticle,we’regoingtobreakdowneverythingyouneedtoknowaboutOEKO-TEX®:whatitmeans,howtheirvariouslabelsdiffer,whichbrandsareusingOEKO-TEX®certifiedproducts,andhowtheirMADEINGREENbyOEKO-TEX®labelisasteptowardsustainabilityLet’sgettoit.WhatisOEKO-TEX®?Inshort,OEKO-TEX®iscomprisedofasetofthird-partycertificationswhichverifythataproductistestedforchemicalsthatarepotentiallyharmfultohumansandourlargerecosystems.OEKO-TEX®doesn’tmanufactureanyproductsitself;rather,itverifiesothercompanies’products.Startedin1992,OEKO-TEX®hassinceexpandedtoinclude18independentrepresentedaroundtheworldandsixseparatesetsofstandardsthatservedifferentpurposes.(We’regoingtobreakthosedownforyouinaminute.)Theiroverallmissionisto“createtrustintextilesandleatherandintheirproduction:throughincreasedproductsafety,improvingsustainableproductionandasustainable,transparentvalue-creationchain.”Third-partycertificationsaresuperimportantbecausetheyhelptopreventgreenwashing.Thisisbecomingmoreandmoreimportantassustainabilitybecomestrendier.It’seasyforcompaniestojumpontheecobandwagonwiththeirmarketingjargon,butasconsciousconsumers,wewantcompaniestoprovethatthey’reputtingtheirmoneywheretheirmouthis.Havinganoutsidebodycomeinandchecktheiroperationsandproductsaccordingtoaspecificsetofstandardscanhelpmakethishappen.WhatMaterialsCanBeOEKO-TEX®Certified?ThemajorityofmaterialsandendproductsthatareOEKO-TEX®certifiedareinthetextilecategory.Butwithinthat,thereisactuallyaprettywidevarietyofgoodsthatcanpotentiallyearnanOEKO-TEX®certificationlabel.Theseinclude:Anykindoftextileinanystageofprocessing,startingfromthethreadstothefinishedgoods.Thisincludesnaturalfiberslikecottonandwoolaswellassyntheticslikepolyesterandsemi-syntheticslikerayon.Othercomponentsofafinishedproductarealsotested,includingthreads,buttons,zippers,linings,dyes,andcoatings.MetalsandglassFoamsandplasticsLeatherBreakingDowntheOEKO-TEX®LabelsTherearesixdifferentlabelsthatamaterialorendproductcanpotentiallyearnfromOEKO-TEX®.Acrossallofthesevariouscertifications,testingisdonebyanindependentOEKO-TEX®partnerinstituteusingasetofspecificcriteria. STANDARD100byOEKO-TEX®Thisisthemostpopularlabelthatyou’relikelytoseemostoften.TheSTANDARD100byOEKO-TEX®certificationmeansthateverycomponentoftheendproduct(includingbuttons,zippers,etc.)hasbeentestedforharmfulsubstances.Thesubstancestestedforincludebothregulatedandnon-regulatedones,andinmanycases,thelimitvaluesforthesesubstancesgobeyondnationalandinternationalrequirements.Thecriteriacatalogisupdatedatleastonceayearandexpandedwithnewscientificknowledgeorstatutoryrequirements.Thisnotonlyhelpstogiveconfidencetoconsumersthatwhatthey’rebuyingissafe,butitalsohelpsbrandsandmanufacturerstostayuptodatewiththelatestdataonsubstancesafetyandtoxicity(whichcanbealotofworkwhenyou’realsotryingtorunacompany!)    MADEINGREENbyOEKO-TEX®TheMADEINGREENbyOEKO-TEX®labelissimilartotheSTANDARD100,buttakesitevenfurther.Notonlyarematerialsandendproductstestedforharmfulsubstances,buttheprocessesusedtomanufacturethoseproductsarealsotakenintoaccount.WiththeMADEINGREENbyOEKO-TEX®label,they’relookingtomakesureproductsareproducedinenvironmentallyfriendlyways,fromtheuseofchemicalstothehandlingofwastewaterandmore.Notonlythat,butthislabelalsoaccountsfortheworkingconditionsoftheworkersinvolvedinmakingtheproductaswell.Thismoreholisticlabelisbecomingmorepopular,andwe’rehappytoseeit!HowisOEKO-TEX®DifferentFromOtherCertifications?Differenttypesofcertificationstest,audit,andverifydifferenttypesofmaterialsandproductsandatdifferentstagesoftheproductionprocess.STANDARD100byOEKO-TEX®,forexample,mostlylooksatthesafetyofendproducts.OthercertificationssuchasGlobalOrganicTextileStandard(GOTS)andUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture(USDA)Organic,ontheotherhand,lookatthingslikehowacertainproduct(oringredient/materialusedtomakeaproduct)wasgrownandharvested. Additionally,somelabelsmaybeinapplicableforcertainproductsormaterials.Rayon,forexample,cannotbecertifiedorganic(sinceit’snotconsidereda“naturalproduct”bythetimeitgetstoitsend-stage),whereasitcanbecertifiedbyOEKO-TEX®toensureit’stestedfortoxicsubstances.(Asasidenote,theOEKO-TEX®certificationisactuallyreallyimportantformaterialslikerayonbecauseoftheharshchemicalsthatareusedtoturnbambooandeucalyptusfromaplantintoasilkyrayonfabric.Thisiswhyit’simportanttobuyTENCEL™brandedrayontextilesbecausetheyallcarrytheSTANDARD100byOEKO-TEX®certification.)OtherlabelsincludetheForestStewardshipCouncil(FSC),whichcertifiesthatwood,paper,andrubber-basedproductsaresourcedsustainably,aswellasFairTradeInternational,whichconsidersthewagesandworkingconditionsofthepeoplewhomaketheproducts. Asyoucansee,allofthesedifferentlabelstestandverifydifferentthings.Thisiswhyyouwilloftenseemultiplelabelsononeproduct.UndertheCanopy,forexample,carriestheMADEINGREENbyOEKO-TEX®labelaswellastheGOTSOrganicandFSCcertifications.Thisindicatesthattheirbeddingandtowelshavebeenverifiedbythirdpartiesacrosstheentirelifeoftheproduct,fromsourcing(FSC)togrowingandharvesting(GOTS),tothesupplychainandendproduct(MADEINGREENbyOEKO-TEX®). HowOEKO-TEX®IsIncreasingProductTransparencyWithTheirLabelCheckToolIthinkOEKO-TEX’sLabelChecktoolisreallycoolbecauseit’sjustonemorestepthey’retakingtohelpempowerconsumerstotakestepstowardsustainabilityandpreventgreenwashing.Basically,thistoolallowsyoutolookupaspecificOEKO-TEX®certifiedproductusinganumberand/orQRcodetoverifywhetherornottheproductiscarryingavalidOEKO-TEX®label.It’ssupereasy,too.Allyouhavetodois:EnterthelabelIDatmadeingreen.comorscantheQRcode.Onthepagethatcomesup,youcanviewthesupplychain,clickonvariousiconstolearnmoreabouttheprocessdetails,thefactorieswheretheproductwasmade,etc.That’sit! ImageCredit:UndertheCanopy SomeofOurFavoriteOEKO-TEX®CertifiedBrands&ProductsALOTofthebrandsandproductswe’vebeenfeaturingonSustainablyChicforyearscarryanOEKO-TEX®label.Belowaresomeofourfavorites.(Theseareallbrandsthatwe’veindependentlycuratedandindependentlyverified.Someoftheselinksmaybeaffiliatelinks,whichmeanswemayearnasmallcommissionifyoudecidetomakeapurchase.)Clothing&Underwear:KnickeyColorfulStandardMagicLinenEverlaneHannaAnderssonToad&Co.VitaminASwimwearOutlandDenimSezaneTowelsUndertheCanopyBoll&BranchParachuteBeddingUndertheCanopyMagicLinenBoll&BranchParachuteCozyEarth ConclusionSothereyouhaveit!Hopefully,thenexttimeyouseeaMADEINGREENorSTANDARD100byOEKO-TEX®labelonanarticleofclothingorsetofbedsheets,youfeeleducatedandempowered,knowingthatit’sbeenthird-partytestedandcertifiedtobetraceableandsaferforpeopleandtheplanet.Andifyou’reeverindoubt,justusetheOEKO-TEX®labeltoverifyandfindoutmoreinformationaboutthelifeofyourproduct. PINTHEPHOTOTOSAVETHISPOSTFORLATER    WANTMORESUSTAINABLEBRANDS?VISITOURBRANDDIRECTORY!OurBrandDirectoryishometohundredsofsustainablebrands,frommakeuptocleaningsupplies,fromunderweartoshoes.Wehavebrokeneverythingdownbycategoryforeasyshopping,alongwithdiscountcodesuniquetoSustainablyChicviewers. ShoptheBrandDirectory RELATEDREADINGYOUMAYALSOENJOY: IsLeatherWorkingGroupCertifiedLeatherSustainable? Nylon:HowSustainableIsIt?(&alistofalternativestochooseinstead) HowtoRecycleClothing(And8CreativeWaystoUpcycleFabric) WhatisAppleLeather?(and8FashionBrandsUsingIt) AreBambooProductsAndClothesReallySustainable? 17InnovativeFabricsThatMakeTheFashionIndustryGreener HowSustainableAndEthicalIsWool?(&BetterAlternatives) WhatisModal?&IsitSustainable? Silk:HowEthicalAndSustainableIsIt?(&BetterAlternativesToChooseInstead) WhatisPolyester?(&itssustainablealternatives) WhatDoestheOEKO-TEX®LabelMean?(AndHowItsLabelCheckToolIsIncreasingTransparency) WhatisViscose,andisitAlwaysUnsustainable? AGuidetoBCorpBrands(&15BrandstoCheckOut!) IsPiñatexaSustainableLeatherAlternative? WhatisCork&HowIsItSustainable? WhatisLinen?&WhyThisLovelyFiberisSoSustainable WhatDoesBiodegradableMean?&SustainableFashionBrandsWhoUseBiodegradableFabrics ABeginner’sGuidetoMendingYourClothing What’stheFussAboutOrganicCotton? WhatIsFairTrade?WhatDoestheLabelMean?(AndFashionBrandsThatUseIt) LookOnTheLabel:ClothingCertificationsExplained WhatisHempFabric,WhyIt'sSustainable&EthicalClothingBrandsWhoUseIt WhatisGreenwashing&5EasyTipstoAvoidIt GetIntoGOTS:WhyThisCertificationMatters&BrandsWhoUseIt WhatisTencel?(&WheretoFindIt) 11SustainableVeganLeatherAlternativesYou'llLovetoLearnAbout TrueCostSeries|ABrawithNoSecrets TrueCostSeries|TheHighPriceofHemp&CostBreakdownofaTowel TrueCostSeries|WhyDoesaSustainableT-ShirtCost$36? 7TipsonHowtoAvoidMicroplasticsWhenWashingYourClothes   Fabrics&CertificationsNatalieKayCostelloOctober8,2021Comment Facebook0 Twitter LinkedIn0 Reddit 0Likes Previous TheBestSustainableBasketsforEco-FriendlyStorage LifestyleMindyRedburn-SmoakOctober11,2021Home&Office Next TheCoziestSustainableSweaters&CardigansforFall/Winter2021 FashionTwoNatalieKayCostelloOctober8,2021Women'sClothing