OEKO-TEX® Launches New ECO PASSPORT Certification For Sustainable Textile Chemicals

The OEKO-TEX® Association has introduced the new ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® certification for sustainable textile chemicals. The six month pilot phase with manufacturers has been successfully completed. The results were very positive & the first certified textile chemical producers have already accessed the key benefits of the new ECO PASSPORT concept. ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® is a two-step verification procedure by which manufacturers of textile processing chemicals and chemical compounds are able to confirm that their products meet the criteria for environmentally responsible textile production. Based on customer and market feedback during the six month pilot test phase, OEKO-TEX® modified the original ECO PASSPORT concept to improve functionality. The workflow between applicants, testing institutes, and the OEKO-TEX® Secretariat was refined and the certification and lab testing procedures were optimised. Textile chemicals, colorants, and auxiliaries are analysed in a two-step process that confirms that the compounds and each ingredient meet specific criteria for sustainability, safety, and regulatory compliance.

In the initial analysis, chemical compounds are checked against a comprehensive Manufacturing Restricted Substance List (MRSL) that incorporates the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 RSL and the STeP by OEKOTEX® MRSL, both of which are compliant with REACH and ZDHC guidelines. Next, the textile chemicals, colorants, and auxiliaries are analysed within a well-reasoned laboratory testing framework to ensure that they do not contain any unsafe contaminants. Compounds that pass these two phases are granted the ECO PASSPORT by OEKOTEX® certification which indicates that the certified textile chemical is safe to use in OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified textile products and in STeP by OEKO-TEX® certified manufacturing facilities.