Eco-friendly textile and apparel certification new regulations announced

In order to further improve the safety of the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 (Ecological Textiles Certification Standard) logo textiles, and also to promote a more coordinated and better integration of Oeko-Tex100 certification and Oeko-Tex1000 certification in the Oeko-Tex system, the International Environmental Textile Association has stated Since January 2012, NPEO, OPEO, NP, and OP in APEO will be included in the scope of testing.

It is understood that the alkyl phenol polyoxyethylene ethers (APEO) mainly include: nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (NPEO) and nonylphenol (NP). These substances are often used as surfactants in textile production processes such as detergents, industrial cleaners, dispersants, wetting agents and other industrial chemicals. Although there is currently no recognized research result that can directly explain that wearing clothing containing NPEO chemicals is detrimental to human health, but such chemicals have great harm to the environment has become a widespread consensus. Both NPEO and NP are non-degradable substances. Once released into the environment, they will accumulate and infiltrate into people's daily food chains in the form of NPs, contaminating the food in the food chain, thus causing damage to human health.

In the environmentally friendly factory certification Oeko-Tex Standard 1000, Oeko-Tex restricts the use of such ecologically harmful surfactants (also including OP octyl phenol and OPEO octyl phenol ethoxylates). , and has become an important inspection item for the Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 certification. Based on currently unrecognized data, these surfactants are directly harmful to human health. Therefore, in the association's Oeko-Tex Standard 100 eco-textiles certification, although there were more than 300 hazardous substances and chemicals examined, there was no surface activity. Agent substances were included in the investigation.

In order to enhance the safety of Oeko-Tex Standard 100-certified textiles, the International Environmental Textile Association will start in January 2012 and add the above-mentioned new test substances and their limit values ​​to the Oeko-Tex assessment list. The certified companies will start from 2013. On the 1st of the month, follow the above material regulations. The specific limits are as follows: NP: 100 ppm, OP: 100 ppm, NP (1-9) EO total: 1000 ppm, NP (1-9) EO total: 1000 ppm.

According to the relevant person in charge of the agency, the Oeko-Tex100 standard's extended investigation of NPEO, NP and other substances will promote the textile industry to reduce the use of such surfactants, thereby promoting the green and healthy development of the global textile industry chain. The International Environmental Textile Association will immediately examine the above-mentioned surface active substances on the purchased certified products in the supervision of the retail end to remind the certified companies of the concern for such substances and help companies identify and avoid such substances in the production supply chain. The inflow. In addition, when the association’s 15 member agencies conduct routine on-site audits (once every three years), they will also share information on the use of APEO substances with enterprises in a timely manner.