Situation

The textile industry is characterised by a form of cooperation in which each stage of production from the raw material to the finished textile product is often located in a different place in the world. This extremely fragmented structure is reflected in the complex supply relationships between all the companies involved throughout the textile processing chain. On top of this, different environmental regulations apply in the individual countries involved in textile production.

This is where the basic concept behind the Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 comes into play: the aim of the criteria catalogue is to iron out the global differences relating to the assessment of harmful substances.

With the Oeko-Tex® system, potential sources of problematic substances at each stage of the processing chain can be identified and eliminated. Whenever a textile product is processed further or a chemical change is made to its material, a test is necessary.