STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® Inspection Standard: New Regulations in 2017

STANDARD100 by OEKO-TEX® Inspection Standard: New Regulations in 2017

As usual, the OEKO-TEX® Association released the new test standards and limit value requirements for STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® product certification at the beginning of the year. The new standards will come into effect for all certifications on April 1, 2017, after a three-month transition period:

1. Perfluorinated and polyfluorinated compounds

In the per- and polyfluorinated compound project, more substances have been added under product level I (infant and young children products) and the names of the substances are clearly listed, and the limit values are specified. On the one hand, these substances include perfluorooctane sulfonate compounds such as PFOSA, PFOSF, N-Me-FOSA, etc., which are derived from perfluorooctane sulfonate. On the other hand, these substances include other per- and polyfluorocarbonates, sulfonic acids and various fluorinated alcohols (fluorotelomer alcohols) and fluorotelomer acrylates. Due to the large number of compounds, please refer here to Appendix 4 and 5 of STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®.

Therefore, in product level I, the use of per- and polyfluorinated compounds is strictly restricted and almost banned. This move further strengthens support for the “Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Action” and “Detoxification Action”.

2. Softener

More substances included under Softeners (Phthalates) for all product grades. These substances include:

Matter:	CAS number:
Diethyl phthalate (DEP)	84-66-2
Diisooctyl phthalate (DIOP)	27554-26-3
Di-n-propyl phthalate (DPrP)	131-16-8
Di-n-nonyl phthalate (DNP)	84-76-4
Di(C6-10)alkyl phthalate	68515-51-5
Complex of (decyl, hexyl, octyl) ester and 1,2-phthalic acid	68648-93-1

The current sum of limits for product classes I to IV (0.1% = 1000mg/kg) remains unchanged. The addition of DEP, DIOP, DPrP, and DNP refers to the requirements of ZDHC, the compound of di(C6-10) alkyl phthalate, (decyl, hexyl, octyl) ester and 1,2-phthalic acid The addition of substances refers to the requirements of SVHC substances of very high concern.

3. Organotin compounds

Three new organotin compounds have been added to all product grades, and limit value requirements have been specified. Specific substances are dipropyltin (DPT), monophenyltin (MPhT) and tetraethyltin (TeET).

The following limit values apply for each substance:

Product Level I: 1.0 mg/kg

Product Level II-IV: 2.0 mg/kg

This supports the requirements of ZDHC (MPhT), Detox (TeET) and standard EN 71-3 (DPT).

4. UV stabilizer

Four UV stabilizers have been regulated for product class IV since 2016. UV 320 (CAS No. 3846-71-7), UV 327 (CAS No. 3864-99-1), UV 328 (CAS No. 25973-55-1) and UV 350 (CAS No. 36437-37-3) are now available in each Substances in product classes I to III also have a limit value of 0.1% (= 1000 mg/kg). These UV stabilizers have been included in the REACh Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) candidate list.

5. Pesticides

Two new substances have been added to the “Pesticide” test item, dicofol ethyl ester (CAS No. 510-15-6) and phosphoramide (CAS No. 13171-21-6), and have been listed in STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® Appendix 5 Substance List. Dicofol and phosphoramide are also mentioned in the EU environmental label EUFlower for textile products. The total limit value requirements for pesticide substances remain unchanged:

Product Level I;

Total amount of all pesticide substances: High 0.5mg/kg

Product level II to IV;

Total amount of all pesticide substances: High 1.0mg/kg

6. Extractable copper

In the “Extractable Heavy Metals” test item, the footnote for copper has been expanded. The exemption in the footnote now reads: “There are no specific requirements for excipients and yarns made of inorganic materials, as long as they comply with the requirements for bioactive products.”

This change makes it clearer: not only is there no requirement for the content of “extractable copper” in metal excipients made of copper and copper alloys, but also for specific core-spun yarns (which may contain metallic copper wrapped by textile yarns). There is also no requirement for the “extractable copper” content in the wire). However, the footnote also clearly states that copper-basedThe use of bioactive products must comply with the special provisions for bioactive products in STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®.

7. Dye “Navy Blue”

The use of the blue dye “Navy Blue” (Index No. 611-070-00-2; EU No. 405-665-4) poses a higher risk to the environment and its use is subject to European Commission Regulation No. 6 entering into force on January 6, 2003. According to the restrictions of Directive 2003/3/EU and Annex XVII of the REACh regulation, according to the relevant provisions of STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, it is now clearly prohibited to certify products using this dye, and the use of this dye is not allowed. Under the STeP by OEKO-TEX® production factory certification framework, navy blue has been banned for many years. This initiative also demonstrates support for ZDHC’s actions.

8. LEATHER STANDARD by OEKO-TEX®

The OEKO-TEX® Association released a new independent standard LEATHER STANDARD by OEKO-TEX® on January 1, 2017. The relevant requirements and references for leather materials and leather products were incorporated into the 2017 version of STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®. The new LEATHER STANDARD by OEKO-TEX® is specifically targeted at leather materials and leather products. From a consumer perspective, it helps achieve a higher level of product safety and allows leather product manufacturers to ensure that their products are safe at all stages of production. It has been tested for harmful substances to provide consumers with strong proof and gain recognition. To view this standard, please visit the OEKO-TEX® website at www.oeko-tex.com.

9. Application documents

Various application documents also make the application process easier. The application forms for initial certification, renewal and certificate enlargement of STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® and LEATHER STANDARD by OEKO-TEX® are now combined into one document.

Through many of the above new measures, the OEKO-TEX® Association has effectively supported the “Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Action” and the “Detoxification Action”, enhancing the textile production chain’s awareness of the need to responsibly handle potentially harmful substances in textiles. Play a pioneering role in effectively protecting consumers.

The chemical substances mentioned above are subject to CAS numbers.

The new STANDARD100 by OEKO-TEX® inspection standards and limit values will come into effect in all certification processes from April 1, 2017, after a three-month transition period.

Source: TESTEX-Textile Testing and Calibration Center