Oeko-Tex confirms checking for APEs at general managers meeting
According to a recent press release of the Oeko-Tex Association, 15 heads of its member institutes met in Delhi, India on November 7-8, with key agenda on discussing issues such as the new version of the Oeko-Tex list of criteria, existing quality control procedures as well as international trademark protection for the Oeko-Tex label.
During the meeting, the initiative by the technical Oeko-Tex Executive Committee to introduce checking for alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), which was previously announced in October, was confirmed as a requirement for product certification under the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 in future. From January 2012, four kinds of APEs, namely nonylphenol, nonylphenol-(1-9) ethoxylates, octylphenol and octylphenol-(1-2) ethoxylates, will be included in the Oeko-Tex list of criteria, and companies will be obliged to comply with the defined limit values in all certification processes from April 2013.
By also regulating these substances under the product-related Oeko-Tex Standard 100, the association expects to have a significant impact on the global textile chain so that the use of these kinds of tensides will be considerably reduced.
To start helping to eliminate alkylphenol ethoxylates, the Oeko-Tex Association will begin testing for alkylphenol ethoxylates immediately as part of its regular control tests; during company audits, it will also be helping certificate-holders to identify the possible sources of this group of substances in their delivery chain at the early stage, and to find substitutes.
The association notes that another focus of the meeting was on analyzing the company audits introduced in 2010. Dr Jean-Pierre Haug, General Secretary of Oeko-Tex, said that since April last year, the association had already visited over 2,000 companies internationally as part of the certification process, to give them support with implementing the Oeko-Tex requirements regarding operational quality control.
“When we carry out company audits on the spot, we can clarify any unresolved issues face-to-face with the quality managers, and so help the companies to gain maximum value for money from the certification process,” said Dr Haug,
It was agreed by the General Managers of the Oeko-Tex institutes that global company monitoring would continue. The aim is for all certificate-holders to have been audited by 2013.
According to the association, the General Managers from its member institutes also agreed at the meeting to extend the scale of regular control testing of certified products worldwide from the current level of at least 15% of all certificates issued annually to 20% in future. In practice, an average of 18% of the certificates have already been tested at the association’s own expense, using product samples taken from retailers, in recent years.
Also introduced at the meeting was a supplement listing additional specifications which would enable special articles such as tents, buggies or push-chairs, office chairs and rucksacks to be certified under the Oeko-Tex Standard 100, with immediate effect.
Furthermore, the association announced at the meeting some of its planned projects, including the re-launch of its existing 16-language website at its webpage (www.oeko-tex.com), a specialist international conference, a “Knowledge Olympics” for specialist retailers in eight European countries and a competition for a media and corporate prize on the theme of sustainability.
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Oeko-Tex confirms checking for APEs at general managers meeting