Oeko-Tex opens offices in the USA

27/09/2005

The Oeko-Tex Association, a leading independent textile testing organisation, has opened its first office in the United States, in Raleigh, North Carolina. The new testing facility will be managed by Manfred Wentz.

The Oeko-Standard 100 is a recognised global safety standard for textiles and apparel - with an emphasis on intimate apparel, activewear, children’s clothing, and home textiles.

Products must meet more than 100 criteria to be certified through the independent testing process. Products are screened for banned or controlled substances, as well as substances that have been scientifically assessed as harmful to human health, but have yet to be legally prohibited. Included are dyes, pesticides, extractable heavy metals, and biologically active and flame retardant products.

The Oeko-Tex Association, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, was founded in 1992 by the Austrian Textile Research Institute in Vienna and the Hohenstein Research Institute, based in Bonnigheim, Germany.