OEKO-TEX

OEKO-TEX is an independent testing and certification system that verifies textile products are free from harmful substances at all stages of production. The system's flagship certification, STANDARD 100, has become the most widely recognized textile safety label globally, providing consumers and brands with confidence that certified products are safe for human contact.

STANDARD 100 Certification

STANDARD 100 tests finished textile products for over 100 potentially harmful substances, including regulated chemicals, chemicals known to be harmful but not yet regulated, and parameters important for health precaution. The testing is comprehensive, examining everything from pH levels and formaldehyde content to heavy metals, pesticides, and allergenic dyes. Products that pass receive certification valid for one year, after which retesting is required.

The Four OEKO-TEX Product Classes

OEKO-TEX recognizes that different products require different safety thresholds based on their intended use and degree of skin contact:

Testing criteria on woven polyester

For 100% polyester programs woven on waterjet looms, OEKO-TEX laboratory screening concentrates on chemical additives introduced during weaving, scouring, and dyeing:

1. Disperse Dyes: Testing verifies that synthetic disperse dyes do not contain or cleave into banned carcinogenic aryl amines or allergenic dyes known to trigger skin dermatitis.
2. Formaldehyde Limits: Class II (bedding) mandates free and hydrolyzable formaldehyde $< 75 \text{ mg/kg}$ (ppm); Class I mandates below detectable limits ($< 16 \text{ ppm}$).
3. pH Value of Aqueous Extract: Tested between 4.0 and 7.5, ensuring the finished polyester does not disrupt the skin's natural acidic protective mantle.
4. Heavy Metals & Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Strict limits on antimony (catalyst residue from PET polymerization), lead, cadmium, and chlorinated organic carriers.

OEKO-TEX vs GRS: which certification do you need?

Commercial buyers sourcing sustainable or verified textiles frequently ask whether they need OEKO-TEX, GRS, or both:

• OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100: Verifies product chemical safety. It guarantees the finished fabric has no harmful chemical residues that could harm the human body.
• GRS (Global Recycled Standard): Verifies raw material provenance. It tracks recycled post-consumer PET bottles from flake to yarn through Transaction Certificates (TC), auditing chain-of-custody and social compliance.

For export programs using recycled polyester, enterprise buyers typically require both: GRS to prove recycled content claims and OEKO-TEX to verify chemical safety for human contact.

Beyond STANDARD 100

The OEKO-TEX system includes additional certifications for different needs. MADE IN GREEN combines STANDARD 100 product testing with STeP facility certification, verifying both product safety and sustainable production practices. Products bearing this label include a QR code enabling consumers to trace the product's manufacturing journey. STeP (Sustainable Textile Production) certifies production facilities across multiple dimensions: chemical management, environmental performance, quality management, and social responsibility. STeP certification is a prerequisite for the MADE IN GREEN label.

Tested Substances

OEKO-TEX testing covers a comprehensive range of potentially harmful substances. These include formaldehyde (a common finishing chemical), heavy metals that can accumulate in the body, pesticide residues from fiber cultivation, chlorinated phenols used in preservation, phthalates found in some plasticizers, allergenic dyes that can cause skin reactions, and pH values outside safe ranges for skin contact.

Industry Benefits

For textile manufacturers and brands, OEKO-TEX certification provides multiple advantages. It builds consumer trust through recognized safety verification, facilitates market access particularly in the European Union where chemical safety standards are stringent, satisfies brand partnership requirements that increasingly mandate third-party safety certification, and establishes a quality control benchmark that improves overall production standards.

Certification Process

Obtaining OEKO-TEX certification involves submitting product samples to an authorized OEKO-TEX institute for laboratory testing, which typically takes two to three weeks. Products that meet all applicable limits receive certification. Annual renewal requires retesting to ensure continued compliance.

What this means when you buy from Weaverine

Weaverine holds OEKO-TEX certification for its programs. The practical point on a buying question is the same one that catches people out on GRS: a supplier listing "OEKO-TEX certified" has not necessarily told you which part of the standard, because the label attaches to a specific product class and test rather than to a company in general.

So the useful question is narrow: which OEKO-TEX class and test applies to the fabric you are buying, and against which certificate. That is a question about your construction, not about the mill's credentials in the abstract.

For the mill's own certification position, see certifications. For the recycled-content standard, see GRS.

Weaverine does not publish a certificate number or scope list on this page. Those are per-site documents tied to a product class, and a number on a glossary page goes stale when they change. Ask for the certificate against your order.