Raising the awareness of consumers about the protection of the environment and ecology in a branch of industry that directly concerns consumers such as textiles; It is an important issue that labels that are stated not to harm the environment and health should be added to textile products.
Independent testing companies examine whether the products meet the criteria set for substances harmful to health. All materials found on the product must not contain carcinogenic substances and will not pose a danger to skin health.
Products tested in accordance with Oeko-tex standard 100 criteria offer product safety that is not harmful to the consumer.
What is OEKO-TEX Standard 100?
It is a worldwide standardized, independent testing and certification system for raw materials, intermediates and accessories at all levels of textile product production.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is also called eko-tex 100 or öko-tex 100 standard. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is a standard developed for the textile industry and suppliers supplying products to these enterprises, to protect environmental pollution and ecological balance.
A textile product that meets the conditions specified in the standard has a label that says "Confidence in textiles passed for harmful substances according to Eco-tex standard 100". Oeko-Tex label is an ecological quality brand that expresses international reliability.
The products offered for sale in the market with the standard 100 label are final products that have been tested against harmful substances.
OEKO-TEX enables consumers and companies to make responsible decisions that protect our planet for future generations.
The more intense the contact of the textile product with the skin, the more stringent human ecological requirements must be met.
OEKO-TEX standard 100 harmful substance tests are determined according to the intended use of textile products and materials. For this reason, there are 4 product classes.
Product class I:
Textile products and materials for babies and children up to the age of three: Underwear, overalls, sheets, duvet covers, etc.
Product class II:
Textile products and materials that are in direct contact with the skin of the majority of their surfaces: Underwear, bed sheet, towel, shirt, blouse, socks, etc.
Product class III: Textiles and materials that do not come into contact with the skin or only a small portion of their surface contacts the skin: Jacket, coat, outdoor materials, etc.
Product class IV:
Decoration upholstery materials: Table cloth, curtain, furniture fabric, etc.
How is the conformity of the product guaranteed after the STANDARD 100 certificate is issued?
On the one hand, the certificate holder ensures the conformity of the product. This happens daily through the company's internal quality controls. On the other hand, as the Hohenstein OEKO-TEX test institute, it performs control tests that cover at least 25% of all certificates issued annually. For this, products from the preliminary stages are tested through sample presentations of current certification processes. In addition, OEKO-TEX certified products are purchased by random control method and retested in the laboratory. Also, independent, OEKO-TEX-appointed auditors carry out unannounced business visits to check quality assurance in the enterprises.
In addition to OekoTex 100, it is also certified according to Oeko-Tex Standard 1000. Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 provides an accreditation system for environmentally friendly production and is carried out by independent bodies and constantly evolving test methods. Production locations are labeled with this label. It includes a whole that contains limit values without prohibited chemicals and technologies and where environmental management systems operate. This test standard also takes into account environmental protection issues within the framework of production and additionally ensures that child workers do not work in the enterprise.
As a result, avoiding the use of toxic chemicals in textile production;
The health of the employees during production,
Consumers' health,
It will protect the health of living creatures exposed to air, water and waste given to the soil.
REFERENCE
Şenocak, B., Mohan Bursalı, Y., İşletmelerde Çevresel Sürdürülebilirlik Bilinci ve Yeşil İşletmecilik Uygulamaları ile İşletme Başarısı Arasındaki İlişki, Makale, Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi, Isparta, 2018
Özdoğan, E., Korkmaz, A., Seventekin, N., Eko-Teks ve AB Çevre Etiketi, Ege Üniversitesi, İzmir, 2007
Gündüz Balpetek, F., Gülümser, T., Tekstil ve Konfeksiyon Sektöründe Ekolojik Etiketler, Derleme, Ege Üniversitesi, İzmir, 2014