Harmonising the Oeko-Tex test parameters with the “Restricted Substances List“ of the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) will make Oeko-Tex testing more attractive to American textile and clothing companies in future. Even before now, the Oeko-Tex list of requirements covered most of the textile-relevant test criteria of the AAFA. From the start of the year, Oeko-Tex laboratory tests will include checks for six more organochlorine pesticides (isodrin, kelevan, kepone, perthane, strobane and telodrin). Triphenyltin (TPhT) is newly included as a harmful substance. Asbestos fibres are banned from use, as they are by the AAFA.

With regard to chlorinated phenols, in future all three possible isomers of tetrachlorophenol will be measured. Until now, only 2,3,5,6 tetrachlorophenol has been tested for. The limit that was previously set for this single substance will apply to the total of all three isomers from now on.

As a result of the reassessment of dibutyl tin by the European Union, the previous Oeko-Tex requirements for DBT in Product Class I (baby articles), where the limit is 2 ppm, have also been extended to apply to Product Classes II (products used in close contact with the skin), III (clothing not worn next to the skin) and IV (furnishing materials).

Finally, the rules on assessing active chemical products (ACP) have also been modified. From this year, textiles with biologically active treatments are essentially banned from all four Oeko-Tex product classes; whereas previously their use was allowed for furnishing materials (PC IV), now all biologically active products come under the ACP rules. This means that only those products may be certificated under Oeko-Tex Standard 100 which have been explicitly confirmed by an independent team of experts from the Oeko-Tex Association as not being harmful to human health. Clothing textiles treated with a flame retardant also fall under the ACP rules. However, those textiles treated with a flame retardant remain unaffected by the new rules if they continue to be approved for certification in Product Class IV with certain restrictions.