Oeko-Tex Announces Updates to 2011 Global RSL

January 6, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Green on January 7, 2011

Textile certifier Oeko-Tex has updated its Restricted Substances List and limit values, and its testing criteria for certifying textiles for harmful substances.

The new regulations reflect the state-of-the-art in global textile processing chemistry and production methods, the most up to date knowledge of human health and ecology, and the latest standards in governmental regulations. 
 
"The global textile market is dynamic and complex," said Sam Moore, who represents Oeko-Tex in the United States. "With our worldwide network of textile research and testing institutes, our scientists have a comprehensive view of current and emerging trends in textile production. They can evaluate the potential impact on humans and ensure that the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 continues to protect consumers against potentially harmful substances."
 
Oeko-Tex Standard 100 updates for 2011 include:
* Total Lead Content at 90 ppm: The 90 ppm standard limit value applies to all four Oeko-Tex textile product categories, from Class I babywear to Class IV decorative textiles that have limited human contact. The 90 ppm is ahead of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) 2011 schedule to reduce lead content to 100 ppm for children's items and 300 ppm for other items. In addition to tighter lead content limits, the Oeko-Tex testing methodology will continue to use a controlled sweat solution test which simulates the actual textile use conditions and determines extractable heavy metal content, a more meaningful indicator of possible health risks than just total heavy metal content.
* Short chain (C10 to C13) chlorinated paraffins and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphates banned: While virtually banned by extremely low limit values in the 2010 Oeko-Tex RSL, these substances will now be explicitly cited in the list of banned flame retardant substances and in the list of banned residual chemicals. The new limit values are 0.1 percent by weight.
 
In addition, Oeko-Tex will continue to visit certificate holders to facilitate their certification process, to provide assistance with optimizing quality control procedures, and to help leverage their Oeko-Tex certification throughout their supply chain to produce safer and more sustainable textile products.