If you’ve ever gone shopping with an eye to buying sustainable fabrics, you may have come across the Oeko-Tex logo. Not sure what it means or whether it’s a reliable sign of eco-friendly textile production? Let’s find out!

What is Oeko-Tex?

Since 1992, the International Association for Research and Testing in the Field of Textile and Leather Ecology has been providing third-party certification to textile products around the world. More commonly known as Oeko-Tex, the organization oversees a number of certifications that ensure products contain only safe levels of harmful substances, including formaldehyde, pesticides, flame retardants, and heavy metals. According to Oeko-Tex, over 53,000 products are certified worldwide, sold by companies like Land’s End, Girlfriend Collective, and Sézane.

Head-quartered in Zurich, Switzerland, Oeko-Tex works with 17 independent textile and leather institutes in Europe and Japan. These labs test submitted products to ensure safe levels of substances like arsenic, benzene, and certain petroleum distillates. Thousands of chemicals can be found on textiles, and many have a negative impact on the environment, harming plants and animals. According to the European Union, 20% of global water pollution can be traced back to textile production. Many of the toxic substances Oeko-Tex tests for have been called “forever chemicals” because of their ability to persist in eco-systems for generations.  

These chemicals can also have negative impacts on the health of humans, especially babies, young children, the elderly, and those with allergies. Substances found in clothes and other textiles have been linked to health impacts including liver, kidney, and lung disorders; neurotoxicity; and cancer.

What are their certifications?

To keep shoppers informed about which textiles don’t contain harmful levels of these chemicals—and in some cases meet higher sustainability standards—Oeko-Tex offers seven different certifications.

The first four certifications focus on specific textile products. Standard 100 is the most commonly awarded, with over 34,000 valid certificates around the world. It was launched in 1992, and the association calls it their “original safety standard.” Standard 100 guarantees that textiles contain safe levels of over 1,000 harmful substances. Oeko-Tex reviews the standard’s chemical limits at least once a year. The standard splits products into four classes, with Class 1 meeting the strictest requirements because it consists of products that could touch children’s skin, down to the less-strict Class 4 for textiles with minimal or no skin contact, like carpets and curtains.

The Leather Standard is specifically tailored for leather products, which are manufactured  differently from textiles and may have been finished with harmful substances.

Organic Cotton certifies cotton products that have been manufactured without GMOs and are tested for pesticides and other substances.

The Made in Green certification looks beyond the presence of chemicals to certify textiles that are made sustainably and in socially responsible workplaces. Like with Standard 100, materials are tested for harmful substances, and environmental responsibility is examined by looking at a production facility’s chemical management strategies—like pollution prevention and using less hazardous chemicals—and testing wastewater quality. Working conditions are assessed on the basis of fair wages, regular working hours, and workplace safety measures. This label is Oeko-Tex’s fastest growing: in 2024, there was a 52% increase in certifications. 

The remaining three certifications zoom out from specific textile products. The Sustainable Textile and Leather Production label (STeP) certifies a range of facilities—like leather tanners and industrial laundries—for meeting sustainability standards, including the working conditions standards of Made in Green. The idea is that manufacturers can choose STeP-certified facilities from a database when sourcing materials along the textile supply chain.

The Eco Passport certification covers chemicals, colourants, and other substances that have been tested and analyzed against Oeko-Tex’s criteria for a lower environmental impact. It is possible for a company to use Eco Passport–certified substances in the manufacture of products that aren’t Standard 100–certified, and it is also possible for a product to be Standard 100–certified without the use of Eco Passport–certified substances. 

And last, Responsible Business certifies companies that protect human rights and the environment throughout their entire supply chains, from raw material producers to retailers. The label looks at everything from a company’s guidelines for decision-making and accountability measures, to communication transparency and complaint mechanisms. The certification launched in late 2022, and there are currently only three active certifications, all for companies based in Germany.

How are companies certified? 

Companies and manufacturers that want their products or business practices to be Oeko-Tex-certified need to apply through the association. Entities certifying a product submit an application to one of the 17 Oeko-Tex-affiliated testing institutes along with a sample. The lab will then test the sample for the substances in their long list and create a test report. They use a “worst-case” methodology, which means testing articles with the most coating and finishings and the darkest dye—for example, if you’re submitting a range of T-shirts, you’d send in the darkest-coloured shirt. If the results are within Oeko-Tex’s criteria, the product will be certified once additional samples taken from the production line and retailers confirm that the products tested are the same as those on the market.

For the other certifications, the application process typically requires an online self-assessment, an analysis by auditors from one of the institutes, an on-site visit, a list of corrections from the auditor, and then the final report documenting the assessment and certification if all’s up to snuff.

How is Oeko-Tex funded?

The association is funded by licensing fees paid by companies who have been certified. Companies who want to have an Oeko-Tex label on their products pay the association to test and certify their textiles. As with other eco-logo certifiers, the fact that the organization is supported by certification fees raises the risk that Oeko-Tex might reduce the strictness of its certification criteria in order to bring in more revenue.

What’s in it for companies?

“It’s an external third-party verification that you’re doing something right,” explains Rod Lohin, the executive director of the University of Toronto’s Institute for Corporate Citizenship. Lohin says certifications like Oeko-Tex help a company satisfy demands for sustainability from stakeholders—which could be customers, board members, government, or company staff and owners. Lohin says a certification like Oeko-Tex is an “easy place to start” when it comes to backing up claims of eco-friendliness. 

Some of the Oeko-Tex standards only certify specific materials or singular products, which could allow unsustainable corporations to greenwash.

Plus, companies with eco-certifications may see positive financial outcomes because of the legitimacy they lend to sustainability claims. A 2019 study out of Hong Kong Polytechnic University found that customers are more willing to pay a premium for products carrying a recognizable eco-label. 

On the downside, the cost of maintaining a certification can be a deterrent for companies, especially certifications with as many steps as the Oeko-Tex process. And the resulting higher cost of certified products may deter customers who don’t care about sustainability or would just rather pay less. Being certified might also open up a company to criticism if they lose the certification or slip up in other ways, says Lohin. “You’re more likely to have a stronger backlash,” he says. “I’m sure that keeps some people right on the edge of pursuing a certification.” 

Does Oeko-Tex mean eco-friendly? 

Though Oeko-Tex tests for harmful chemicals and environmental impact, problems may slip through the cracks. While there’s a long list of chemicals Oeko-Tex tests for, they might miss other harmful components that aren’t yet included on that list. Some of the Oeko-Tex standards only certify specific materials or singular products, which could allow unsustainable corporations to greenwash by selling a few products with an eco-label. 

Some environmental blogs also criticize the fact that Oeko-Tex-certified producers can use fibres grown with pesticides and fertilizers. And the most common certification, Standard 100, is largely concerned with the end product. For certified items, there is little transparency into the complete lifecycle of the product: Standard 100 doesn’t check where raw materials were grown, processed, or manufactured. It also certifies products made from viscose and rayon— which are chemical-intensive to produce—and polyester, which is derived from fossil fuels. So, while it might be a good marker of protecting human health, it’s not necessarily a mark of sustainability. 

That being said, there’s a lot to love about Oeko-Tex. Certified products need to be re-tested annually to keep their certification. (Company and facility-level certifications are good for three years.) The institutes are audited every three years and update their standards. Oeko-Tex also has a Buying Guide and Label Checking tool so consumers can easily look up certified products. 

Buzzword summary 

A rigorous check for harmful chemicals in textiles, which may miss the bigger picture.

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