TESTEX Group is an independent Swiss
testing and certification organization. As a member of the OEKO-TEX®
Association, it is engaged in testing textiles for harmful substances and
sustainability.
Chief Marketing Officer Marc Sidler explains
on the roles of testing in achieving a sustainable industry during an interview
with CTA China Textile & Apparel.
CTA: What is the role of TESTEX as the official OEKO-TEX® testing
institute?
Marc Sidler: TESTEX is the official OEKO-TEX® representative in Mainland China, Hong
Kong and Taiwan, and beyond that has further 17 branch offices spamming the
globe.
We are the primary contact for regional and
national developments in the representative countries.
CTA: What are the differences between MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX®,
STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® and STeP certification by OEKO-TEX®? Why a labeling
system was set up when certifications had already existed?
Marc Sidler: MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX® is targeted at the end consumers. With
an abundance of eco labels, consumers are increasingly demanding more
transparency.
MADE IN GREEN is the OEKO-TEX®
association’s first traceable textile label. It ensures that the labeled
products have been tested for harmful substances, produced under safe and
socially responsible conditions, and in environmentally friendly facilities.
Each product features a unique ID or QR code that allows consumers to trace its
supply chain.
Any company along the textile supply chain
can label its finished and semi-finished products with MADE IN GREEN by
OEKO-TEX®. Provided that all product components are certified according to the
STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® and all relevant supplying production facilities are
STeP by OEKO-TEX® certified.

CTA: Do you find the national and international regulations and
standards are getting more stringent? If yes, in what directions and what
aspects?
Marc Sidler: The tragic disaster of the collapse of the Rana Plaza in 2013
spurred international outrage prompting regulations and standards to address
the lack of basic working conditions. Furthermore, NGOs such as Greenpeace have
heightened the urgency to eliminate releases of hazardous chemicals from
textile supply chain and products.
Our certification system provides an answer
to these newly arisen demands.
Our oldest and most established
certification system, STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, is compliant with REACH Annex
XVII, GB 18400 and recognized by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) as
evidence of compliance with the limit values for total lead content in products
for children for the CPSIA.
STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® furthermore takes
other relevant international standards and initiatives into consideration, such
as ECHA’s SVHC candidate list, Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC),
the Detox Campaign, the Stockholm Convention and Prop 65.
Moreover, the ZDHC Programme now accepts
ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® certification as an indicator of conformance with the
organization’s Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) in connection
with the ZDHC Gateway-- Chemical Module.
Sustainable Textile Production (STeP) by
OEKO-TEX® is an independent certification system for brands, trading companies
and manufacturers along the textile chain to communicate their sustainable
production conditions transparently and credibly. The modular structure of STeP
certification permits comprehensive analysis and evaluation of all relevant
areas of the company with regard to the employment of environmentally friendly
technologies and products, efficient management of resources and compliance
with optimal working conditions in respect of health, safety and social
compatibility.
As our certification system is built on a
modular system, so any pre-certified articles will be taken into consideration.

CTA: What direction will textile testing go in the future?
Marc Sidler: Credibility is vital for a company’s reputation and brand value. We
therefore believe that third party testing will gain in importance. The
OEKO-TEX® portfolio offers our customers with a future proved solution in the
ever evolving textile landscape.
CTA: How do you comment the industry wide change in responsible
chemicals management, sustainability, and transparency?
Marc Sidler: For us, actions speak loader than words. We therefore welcome the
developments of the industry towards a more sustainable and transparent future.
Sustainable productions of articles
including the chemical management as well as transparency are corner stones of
our certification systems. Our customer can therefore be sure that by
certifying the articles or production facilities with OEKO-TEX®, they are on
course with the latest industry demands.
CTA: Is the Chinese textile industry getting big progress in achieving
sustainability?
Marc Sidler: The Chinese government has provided a positive impetus for making
the industry more sustainable and in turn let companies leverage on their
sustainability effort.
CTA: What is the development plan for TESTEX?
Marc Sidler: We take a holistic approach with our comprehensive portfolio,
offering certifications from input (STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® and ECO PASSPORT
by OEKO-TEX®) to process (STeP by OEKO-TEX®), right through to output (STANDARD
100 by OEKO-TEX®, LEATHER STANDARD by OEKO-TEX®, MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX®).
CTA: Do you have any others to share with CTA readers?
We are constantly challenged by the ever
evolving demands of consumers, governments and NGOs.
With our certification system which is
updated on a yearly basis we make sure that we keep up to speed with latest
market development.
Taking the demands of all relevant
stakeholders into consideration, our customers have the peace of mind that
their articles are compliant with the latest and most significant globally
accepted standards and regulations.
TESTEX Group is an independent Swiss testing and certification organization operating worldwide with the focus on textile testing. It has been testing, analyzing and certifying with the focus on the textile sector since 1846.
The long-established company has become
highly regarded, initially in Europe and subsequently also worldwide, for its
high-quality services, its independence and its innovative energy.
TESTEX conducts textile testing solely in its headquarters
in Switzerland and at its subsidiary company, OETI, in Austria.
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