What is the Oeko-Tex label?
The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 label aims to guarantee that textiles are free of substances toxic to the body and the environment. It assures consumers that ready-to-wear clothing and household linen are free of harmful substances, whether dyes or textiles.
This label is an international control and certification system. It brings together 18 independent research and testing institutes in the field of textile and leather ecology in Europe and Japan, with offices in over 60 countries.
Carré Blanc certifies almost all of its products according to the Oeko-Tex Standard 100. To check this status, you can enter one of our certification numbers below on the Oeko-Tex website.
What does the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 label certify?
Oeko-Tex is recognized by both professionals and consumers. When an item is certified by this label, it promises to exclude undesirable substances that may pose a risk to the consumer's health.
An Oeko-Tex Standard 100 fabric is controlled at each stage of transformation (raw materials, threads, dyeing) to ensure that it does not contain chemicals harmful to health.
Laboratory tests currently include approximately 100 control parameters, based on international testing standards and other recognized testing procedures. The more intense the contact between the textile and the skin, the stricter the limit values to be observed.
How does the certification process work?
1 - Companies wishing to certify an item must submit a certification application to one of the Oeko-Tex member institutes. In France, this is the IFTH (French Institute of Textiles and Apparel) based in Lyon. It carries out laboratory tests on representative samples of the materials submitted to it. If the results comply with the requirements, the certificate is issued and the applicant undertakes to guarantee that the products are identical to the samples tested. The Oeko-Tex label is valid for one year.
2 - An audit of the company is then carried out every three years when the certification is renewed. Random checks are carried out in stores to ensure that the samples sent for certification are not different from those sold commercially. Auditors also go directly to production sites to carry out checks and take samples.
3 - The Standard 100 label distinguishes four product classes: from closest to the skin to furthest from the skin. The more intense the contact between a textile and the skin, and the more sensitive the skin, the stricter the anti-allergic requirements.
- Class I (the strictest): for articles for children under 3 years old.
- Class II: for articles that come into direct contact with the skin (underwear, bed linen, T-shirts).
- Class III: for articles that do not come into contact with the skin (coats, jackets).
- Class IV: for furnishing materials (curtains, tablecloths, upholstered furniture covers).
