At the start of the year, the Oeko-Tex Association, developers of tailor-made solutions for textile sector, has updated the applicable test criteria and limit values for product certification in accordance with Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex. The new regulations come into effect on April 1, 2019 for all certifications, following a three-month transition period.
The substance benzene has been included at the parameter ‘other chemical residues’ for all product classes; for the substance quinoline, which has been under observation by Oeko-Tex since 2018, the limit value of < 50 mg/kg has been fixed. Furthermore, four amine salts has been incorporated, which are examined together with the test for ‘aryl amines having carcinogenic properties’, according to Oeko-Tex.
In the course of ‘standardisation’ of the limit value requirements, the requirement ‘<’ now applies for nearly all limit values. The Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex is a worldwide consistent, independent testing and certification system for raw, semi-finished, and finished textile products.
For over 25 years, the Oeko-Tex’s strategy has been to be proactive in the field of consumer protection as a pioneer and not to wait for legislation. Due to that, as a result of the implementation of the above-mentioned few additional measures, the Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex already covers the requirements of the new ‘Reach Annex XVII CMR legislation (Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/1513)’, which addresses 33 CMR substances. This legislation admittedly entered into force in November 2018, however, will be applied for products only from November 1, 2020. In contrast to this, most of these substances have already been considered and regulated in the Oeko-Tex criteria catalogue since many years.
