Certificates of Quality & Standards

QUALITY CERTIFICATES

Many brands use certified materials in the production of their non-ordinary pieces. But what do these certifications mean? We bring you a brief overview of international quality certificates, evaluating standards and initiatives.

OEKO-TEX® Standard 100

OEKO-TEX® Leather Standard

GOTS

OSC 100

OSC BLENDED

RWS

Fair Wear

PETA

BCI

OEKO-TEX® Standard 100

OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certificate is an internationally recognised way of controlling textile materials, byproducts and final products in all stages of production. The OEKO-TEX certificate guarantees that this product was tested for harmful substances and is safe.

Every year, the catalogue of criteria and harmful substances is updated, therefore the certification has to be updated every year as well. For example, they test for the presence of pesticides, carcinogenic or allergenic colouring, azo dye, the pH balance or colour fastness.

Due to the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 you can be sure that the material (fabric, threads) and every part of the product (buttons, zippers, lining), even the print have been tested for harmful substances and that the product is harmless for human health.

More about the OEKO-TEX certificate can be found at www.oeko-tex.com

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OEKO-TEX® Leather Standard

OEKO-TEX Leather Standard is an international standard for leather and leather products. Leather and leather products can be certified from intermediate to finalised products. Leather threads, clothing items and accessories (leather gloves, purses or shoes) can be tested and certified. Leather from exotic or protected animals cannot be certified.

The certificate guarantees that the products with this label have been tested for harmful substances and that the product is harmless for human health.

More about the OEKO-TEX certificate can be found at www.oeko-tex.com

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GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)

GOTS is an internationally recognised certificate for organic textile, which defines ecological and social criteria that manufacturers in the whole supply chain must adhere to.

The GOTS certificate guarantees that the organic textile threads were made sustainably. In accordance with eco-friendly agriculture, no chemical pesticides or genetically modified seeds were used during the cultivation of the organic plants (such as organic cotton), no chemicals were used during processing of the cotton, and the farmers and manufacturers were offored fair and safe work conditions, without using child labour or harming animals.

GOTS uses 2 types of quality certificates, one for “organic products” and one for products “made from organic materials”. A product must consist of at least 95% organic fibers in order to be labelled “organic”. Clothing with the label “made from organic materials” must consist of at least 70% certified organic fibers, while the remaining 30% can consist of non-organic, recycled or synthetic fibers, but even these are tightly regulated.

More about the GOTS certificate can be found at www.global-standard.org

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OSC 100 (Organic 100 Content Standard)

OCS is an international certificate focused on production of raw materials that are entering the supply chain. It monitors the environmental and social conditions in cultivating and processing organic crops. OSC aims to increase the production quantity from environmentally friendly agriculture and organic farming.

In comparison to the GOTS certificate, OCS only focuses on the proportion of organically cultivated fibers in a product, but it does not regulate the rules in the subsequent processing of these fibers into a product.

The clothing with the label with OSC 100 logo has been made from at least 95% certified organic materials, the remaining 5% can be made from any fiber.

More about the OCS 100 certificate can be found at www.textileexchange.org

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OCS BLENDED (Organic Blended Content Standard)

Certificate OSC BLENDED is based on the OSC 100. It focused on ecological and social conditions during the production or primary materials that are entering the supply chain. Subsequent processing of these organic materials into a final product is not regulated.

Due to this certificate you can be sure that your product is made from at least 5% and at most 95% of organic fibers. The exact proportion must be provided on the label of the clothing.

More about the OSC BLENDED certificate can be found at www.textileexchange.org

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RWS (Responsilbe Wool Standard)

RWS (Responsible Wool Standard)

Certificate RWS focuses on good living conditions of sheep and the farmers that have a progressive approach to managing their land. Their wool is therefore collected with respect to the animal.

More about the RWS certificate can be found at www.textileexchange.org

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Fair Wear

The Fair Wear certificate is granted by the non-profit organisation Fair Wear Foundation. It aims to monitor and better the social conditions in the clothing industry. It focuses on countries such as China, India, Turkey and Bangladesh, where the majority of clothing and accessories are made. To obtain a Fair Wear certificate, the manufacturer must prove that it ensures a healthy and safe work environment for their workers, gives them fair rewards, does not discriminate, cares about human rights and refuses forced or human labour.

Clothing with Fair Wear label was made in accordance with international work standards (ILO Conventions) and The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

More about Fair Wear can be found at www.fairwear.org

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PETA – Approved Vegan

A certificate from the international organisation PETA (The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) fighting for animal rights. A product can receive the PETA certificate only if it does not contain any animal byproducts, if none of its components were tested on animals during any point in the production process and no animal was harmed during the production process.

Clothing and accessories with the PETA certificate are suitable for vegans.

More about the PETA certificate can be found at www.peta.org

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BCI (Better Cotton initiative)

BCI is an international non-profit association of responsible farmers. Its goal is sustainable cotton production. Some of the main principles are minimising the negative impact of farming practices on plants, water, soil and biodiversity, encouraging farmers to preserve the quality of fiber, supporting fair work and efficient management of their activities in accordance with sustainable principles.

A product label with the BCI logo was made from cotton produced in a sustainable way, and therefore it is mainly composed of sustainably produced cotton.

More about the BCI certificate can be found at www.bettercotton.org

QUALITY CERTIFICATES

OEKO-TEX® Standard 100

OEKO-TEX® Leather Standard

GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)

OSC 100 (Organic 100 Content Standard)

OCS BLENDED (Organic Blended Content Standard)

RWS (Responsilbe Wool Standard)

Fair Wear

PETA – Approved Vegan

BCI (Better Cotton initiative)

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