Eco-sustainability and consumer protection have always been important subjects to us. Therefore, we have always invested in tools, products and procedures that would allow us to become more ecofriendly and more respectful of consumer protection regulations each and every day.
Respect for the environment, sustainability, and safety are made up of many small details and considerations but also of big investments and efforts, above all, when discussing certifications that can seriously provide the consumer with certain guarantees about their purchases.
Among these certifications the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 can certainly be found. It is an independent and uniform control and certification system on an international level and is applied to raw materials, semi-finished and finished products at every level of processing in the textile sector.
Oeko-Tex Standard 100, certification obtained by our dyeing house in 2008, is known, above all, to professionals in the industry, however, also ever more so to the final consumer. As a matter of fact, many often ask us for information about this certification, our products and, above all, explanations of our dyes. With this in mind it is time to reveal to you what exactly is Oeko-Tex Standard 100.
To tell the truth, we should have done it years ago but we were so immersed in countless other projects that we always put it off and for this, we humbly ask your forgiveness.
Oeko-Tex Standard 100 was born in the early 90s as a reaction to the need of consumers and the general public to have textile products that do not present any risk to human health thus ensuring the use of safe chemicals.
The characteristics that modern textile products must have cannot in fact be achieved without the use of certain types of chemical substances which are necessary for the final products so as to guarantee specific performance (such as easy-care and long-lasting properties) often essential as they are connected to intended use (work clothes, for example).
Up until the introduction of Oeko-Tex there were no instruments to certify that the substances, necessary to guarantee certain qualities of finished products, were at the same time safe for human health and not harmful to the environment.
Consequently, since 1992, the main aim of the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 has been the development of scientifically based testing criteria and methodologies. Based on the extensive and strict list of requirements including several hundred individual substances regulated by the Oeko-Tex Standard 100, it covers:
• important legal regulations such as azoic dyes, formaldehyde, pentachlorophenol, cadmium, nickel, etc.
• numerous chemical substances that are hazardous to health, even if not yet regulated by law.
• the requirements of the attached XVII and XIV of the European Chemicals Regulation (REACH) and the ECHA list of SVHC substances, if these are relevant for textile and clothing products or accessories according to the evaluation of the OEKO-TEX® expert group. Following relevant discussions and developments, the requirements of the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® are updated as quickly and effectively as possible.
• requirements for the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) for lead.
• numerous classes of substances relevant also for the environment.
Among the other requirements asked of certified companies there exists, and is applicable, company management and quality protection procedures and the legally binding signing of declarations of commitment and compliance by the client.
In this way Oeko-Tex Standard 100 gives the consumer a guarantee of adherence to said standards.
Are there any downsides? If one must speak of negative aspects, the sole one that comes to mind is that chemicals that fall within the parameters of the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 are often more expensive than others. Not only that, but even compliance with management procedures can also lead to extra investment and an increase in costs companies. Consequently, this tends to translate into an increase in the price of the product. I believe, however, that when evaluating the price of a product, it is necessary to relate it to the quality. And if quality also means respect for the environment and human health, then I would really say that it is worth spending a that little bit extra. With this notion in mind, DHG does not save on quality. Quality, which is obtained not only through the choice of raw materials, but also through the processing phase, by their impact on the environment that surrounds us and by the respect for those who work in our factories. This mix of values is what we would like you feel when you buy from DHG.
If you are wondering which DHG fibres’ dye is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified, the answer is: all of them. Our extrafine merino wool tops have had their dye certified from day one and have paved the way for others. So today, whether you buy carded wool or silk in tops rather or even a ball of our Piuma, you are always buying a product with Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified dye.
If you liked this article maybe you would also enjoy NO MULESING Merino Wool. Yes, please!
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