OEKO-TEX · Textile and leather chemical safety
OEKO-TEX certification consulting for textiles buyers trust to be tested.
OEKO-TEX labels tell brands and shoppers that textile and leather products have been tested for harmful substances; Sterling's expert and experienced consultants prepare your materials, suppliers and records so the application goes smoothly. We ensure successful certification for our clients.
- Fixed scope, one proposal: consulting, Effivity software, Sterling Academy access and internal auditor training, as applicable to your standard, in one proposal
- A team of expert and experienced consultants, with supplier and product compliance systems consulting delivered across sectors and countries since 2003
- The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements. Sterling does not test or certify; testing and the label decision sit within the OEKO-TEX system
8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries.
Sterling client experience
What it is
What is OEKO-TEX certification?
OEKO-TEX is a family of standards and labels for the textile and leather industry, run by OEKO-TEX Service GmbH. The best known, OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100, is described by OEKO-TEX as a product label for textiles and accessories that have been tested for harmful substances. The OEKO-TEX LEATHER STANDARD applies the same idea to leather articles.
The label attaches to products rather than to a management system. A producer applies, the articles and their components are tested in a laboratory, and a label is granted for what passes. The practical work is knowing exactly which materials go into each article and where they come from.
Current status. OEKO-TEX publishes the standards and a labelling guide on oeko-tex.com and updates them over time. Confirm the edition, limit values and label conditions that apply to your articles directly with OEKO-TEX before you apply.
Who it is for
Who asks for OEKO-TEX certification?
The request usually comes down the supply chain from the brand or retailer:
- Brands and retailers. Buyers ask suppliers for an OEKO-TEX label as evidence that articles have been tested for harmful substances.
- Consumers. A label on the product answers a safety question at the point of sale, especially for baby and home textiles.
- Your own supply chain. Using already-labelled fabrics, trims and components can simplify testing of the finished article.
The label covers the tested articles. Keeping it depends on controlling materials and suppliers between tests.
Requirements
What are the main OEKO-TEX requirements?
The detailed criteria differ by OEKO-TEX standard and product class, and we have not reproduced them here. The lines below describe what Sterling's readiness work covers.
- Article definition: the articles, product groups and intended use you want labelled
- Materials and components: a bill of materials for every article, down to trims and accessories
- Supplier evidence: existing labels and certificates collected and checked for validity
- Chemical control: records of dyes, auxiliaries and treatments used in your own processes
- Consistency: controls that keep production the same as the tested samples
What does useful OEKO-TEX evidence look like?
A clear article list, bills of materials, supplier labels with their validity dates, chemical inventories and change records. We keep them in Effivity, so a new supplier or material change is reviewed before it reaches a labelled product.
Your engagement
What your OEKO-TEX engagement includes
Your engagement prepares the products, the supply chain and the paperwork together, under one all-inclusive proposal.
Scope and product mapping
The articles to label, their materials and the likely OEKO-TEX standard, agreed before work starts.
Supplier and material records
Supplier labels, certificates and declarations collected, checked and filed.
Effivity ISO & GRC software
Materials, suppliers and changes tracked in one workspace, included with the engagement at no additional cost.
Training for everyone
Awareness for purchasing and production teams, and preferential Sterling Academy access, including complimentary awareness training for your people as part of the engagement.
Chemical and change control
Procedures that keep production consistent with the tested samples.
Application readiness
Support preparing the application and samples, and closing any points raised.
Testing and the label decision remain within the OEKO-TEX system. Sterling does not test products or issue labels.
Often combined with
Standards organisations pair with OEKO-TEX
- amfori BSCIamfori BSCI audit preparation for producers: gap assessment across the 13 performance areas, remediation, worker-facing evidence and support from Sterling.
- Better Cotton (BCI)Better Cotton (BCI) Chain of Custody certification for textile suppliers: stock and claim controls, reconciled records, training and audit readiness.
- BRCGS Packaging MaterialsBRCGS Packaging Materials certification explained: Issue 7, GFSI recognition, who asks for it and how Sterling prepares packaging sites for the audit.
- EN 71 / ASTM F963EN 71 and ASTM F963 toy safety compliance for manufacturers: product and market mapping, material control, test planning and records that keep lots conforming.
- GOTSGOTS certification for organic textiles: what the Global Organic Textile Standard covers, who asks for it and how Sterling prepares your site for audit.
- Higg IndexHigg Index verification support for facilities: Higg FEM data and records, environmental controls, a review before posting and readiness for the verifier.
Effivity · ISO and GRC software, included in every engagement
How Effivity helps you fulfil, automate and simplify OEKO-TEX readiness.
Every Sterling OEKO-TEX engagement includes Effivity, the ISO and GRC automation platform built by the Sterling group and used in 50+ countries. Your consultant configures the workspace within the agreed scope, so articles, bills of materials, supplier labels, chemical inventories, changes and actions live in one place, the system runs in daily work and the brand's compliance team reviews a live system rather than a binder. Sterling consulting clients get their Effivity subscription included with the engagement, at no additional cost.
Scope, products and interested parties
The labelled articles, product groups and the customers that require the label are kept in one register, so scope stays current as ranges change.
Policy, roles and objectives
The policy, the responsibilities and the objectives with their measures, owners and dates live where the people who own them work; progress is reported from the system, not from a separate spreadsheet.
Risks and opportunities
A risk and opportunity register with owners, actions and review dates; treatments tracked to closure and brought to management review automatically.
Competence, awareness and documented information
Training and competence records for every person, linked to Sterling Academy; documents with versions, approvals and distribution, so the current version is the only one in use.
Suppliers, materials and chemical inventories
Supplier labels and certificates with expiry alerts, material specifications and chemical inventories, each linked to the articles they affect.
Monitoring, internal audit and management review
Audit programmes, findings and follow-up; KPIs on live dashboards; a management review that records its inputs, decisions and actions.
Nonconformity, complaints and corrective action
Raised, investigated and closed with root cause and the evidence that the action worked; recurring issues visible to management before they become a finding.
Your own processes, forms and reports
Forms, fields, workflows and reports adapted to how you work, without code; legal and customer requirements tracked to the processes they affect.
What this means when a buyer asks
A brand asks which components of an article are covered and whether supplier labels are still valid. In Effivity each answer is a screen with dates and owners, not a folder assembled the week before. Sustain™ keeps renewals and material changes under control.
In your engagement
- Subscription included with the engagement, at no additional cost
- Configured by your Sterling consultant within the agreed scope
- Your documents, records and registers migrated, not retyped
- Admin and user training for your team
- Modules for QMS, EMS, OHSMS, ISMS, FSMS and more when you integrate other standards
Sterling Academy · OEKO-TEX e-learning
Train every employee on OEKO-TEX, not just the compliance team.
Sterling Academy delivers e-learning for the whole workforce and for the people who run the system: video lessons with practice checkpoints, a final exam and a numbered Certificate of Completion for each learner, verifiable online. Sterling consulting clients benefit from preferential Sterling Academy course access and special pricing through their Sterling consultant, including complimentary awareness training for their people as part of the engagement.
- Chemical safety awareness for purchasing and production staff
- Practitioner learning for the people who manage materials and suppliers
- Internal auditor training for the people who will audit the system, as applicable to your standard, as part of the engagement
- Learner progress by department and a training status report for your customers
- New hires trained as they arrive, so evidence stays current
- A Sterling consultant reachable when a learner needs one
Keep exploring
Explore more about OEKO-TEX
Why Sterling
Want a smooth OEKO-TEX application? Come to Sterling.
Whether you run one mill or source from many, Sterling helps you control materials and suppliers with clear ownership, so labelled products stay what was tested.
Management systems in 60+ countries since 2003
Supplier and product compliance work for manufacturers across every region we serve, with one engagement team accountable across every country you operate in.
All-inclusive proposal
Consulting, Effivity, training and Academy access in one proposal, with testing and label charges identified separately. No surprises, ever.
A system your people can use
Less documentation and maximum effectiveness: documents, training and software connected to day-to-day operations, so your people adopt the system rather than tolerate it.
Expert and experienced consultants
Consultants who have built supplier and product control systems across sectors and countries since 2003, and who prepare your records properly the first time.
The Sterling Promise
What our OEKO-TEX certification success guarantee means
We stay with you until your agreed OEKO-TEX certification outcome is achieved, supporting preparation, the application and the resolution of any points raised. Clear explanations, practical delivery, included software and employee learning turn the investment into lasting capability rather than a label alone.
The engagement identifies the standard, articles, outcome and responsibilities. Your organisation supplies accurate information and samples and keeps production consistent. Testing and the label decision sit within the OEKO-TEX system. Our commitment concerns the agreed support, not a promise of every future order.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions about OEKO-TEX
Does Sterling issue OEKO-TEX labels?
No. Sterling prepares your products, suppliers and records. Testing and the decision to grant a label sit within the OEKO-TEX system.
Is OEKO-TEX the same as organic certification?
No. OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 is about testing articles for harmful substances. Organic fibre content and processing are covered by other schemes such as GOTS.
Do we need to test every component ourselves?
Not always. Components that already carry a valid OEKO-TEX label may reduce what needs testing. Confirm with OEKO-TEX how they are treated for your articles.
Keep exploring
More on OEKO-TEX and related standards
More in Consumer goods, textiles & packaging
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