Oeko-Tex Association has unveiled a new sustainable textile certificate, the Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex, which is currently in pilot mode and will be officially launched in early summer 2016. Eco Passport is a verification procedure by which manufacturers of dyes, performance additives, finishing agents, lubricants, etc are able to confirm that their products can be used in sustainable textile production. “The Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex certification program is comprised of three assessments which are conducted in a stepwise manner,” the testing agency stated in a press release. “The results from each stage of evaluation will help applicants to confirm internal quality control and occupational safety guidelines and reformulate if necessary, to create safer, more sustainable formulations,” it said. Manufacturers securely disclose the chemical substances in their formulas which are compared via CAS number against the Standard 100 Restricted Substance List and the STEP Manufacturing Restricted Substance List. Second, a risk or hazard assessment is conducted in which each ingredient is evaluated against twenty-two health and environmental endpoints. Finally, an analytical verification is performed to confirm that the chemical product does not contain unintended by-products or contaminants and meets the criteria for Eco Passport certification. Products that pass all three phases are granted the Eco Passport certification which indicates that the product is safe to use in Standard 100 certified textile products and in STEP certified manufacturing facilities. “In this way, Eco Passport certified chemicals increase textile product and process safety and help protect consumers, textile industry workers, and the environment from the negative impact,” it observed. Oeko-Tex further added that the addition of Eco Passport to its portfolio promotes comprehensive stewardship of textile products and processes throughout the supply chain. Oeko-Tex Association and its sixteen member institutes around the world will be hosting webinars and other learning opportunities soon to ensure clients are aware of the new certificate. These events will inform companies the many sustainability benefits it offers for textile chemical producers and their customers as well as for the entire textile supply chain.
