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The International OEKO-TEX® Association has produced a prerecorded webinar providing information on the new OEKO-TEX® STeP certification system for sustainable textile production operations. The webinar entitled “STeP by OEKO-TEX®: Sustainable Textile Production” is presented in English and is available for viewing at any time on the OEKO-TEX® website
The OEKO-TEX® STeP certification, introduced earlier this year, is a voluntary, independent certification that evaluates and scores a textile production facility’s sustainability performance in six key areas: quality management, environmental management, social responsibility, safety, environmental performance, and chemicals management. The certification is constructed specifically for textile production facilities of all types and provides objective standards to transparently benchmark factories against prior performance, versus other factories operating in the same manufacturing sector, and against the worldwide textile supply chain as a whole. The STeP certification is global in scope and will be updated at least annually to reflect changes in legislation, growing knowledge of human health factors, and evolving social standards.
The OEKO-TEX Standard 100 product certification ensures that textiles are tested for more than 300 substances which are considered to be harmful to humans. In summer 2014, the association will introduce a new premium certification standard especially for Standard 100 certified textile products made in STeP-certified manufacturing facilities.