OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is a testing and certification scheme that checks a finished textile product, or a component of one, for harmful substances against limit values set by the OEKO-TEX association. Retailers ask for it because it gives them a recognised, independently tested answer to whether a cushion cover or a sheet contains substances such as certain azo dyes, formaldehyde, heavy metals or restricted phthalates above an agreed level. It is not an organic standard and says nothing about where the cotton was grown or how workers were treated. It is about the chemistry of the end product.
Product classes
The standard has four product classes based on how close the product sits to the skin and who uses it. Class I covers products for babies and toddlers and has the strictest limits. Class II covers products with direct skin contact, which is where bed linen, towels and most cushion covers fall. Class III covers products without direct skin contact, and class IV covers decoration materials such as curtains and tablecloths.
A certificate for class IV cannot be used to sell a baby sheet, so the class on the certificate must match the product you are buying. If a range includes a cot sheet alongside adult bedding, the fabric needs class I certification for the whole range or a separate certificate for the baby items.
How to check a certificate
- Ask for the certificate number and check it on the OEKO-TEX label check page; the result shows the certificate holder, the validity date and the product scope.
- Match the scope to your product: the certificate lists the articles covered, such as woven cotton bed linen in specified finishes, and anything outside that scope is not certified.
- Check the holder: a mill may hold a certificate for its fabric, but the finished product from a stitching unit is only covered if the certificate includes that article or the unit holds its own.
- Check the date: certificates are renewed annually and an expired number will show as invalid.
- Check the components: zips, sewing threads, labels and fillings each need to be covered, either under the same certificate or by their own.
What a certificate does not do
A valid certificate shows that samples submitted for certification passed the test, not that every batch does. Dye lots change, auxiliaries change and sub-contractors change, so for a large programme it is sensible to pull a sample from the bulk and have it tested for the substances that matter most in your market. Certification is also voluntary. A product with no certificate may be perfectly compliant, but you then have no independent evidence to show a retailer or a regulator.
Decide at the specification stage whether you require the certificate, your own testing or both, and write it into the purchase order. Suppliers in India are used to the request, and many mills around Ahmedabad and Surat hold certificates, but the scope and the class still need to be checked for every order.
How we verify certificates
We check certificate numbers, scope and class before a supplier is approved, and we repeat the check at order stage because certificates lapse. Where the programme justifies it, we pull sealed samples from the bulk and send them to an NABL-accredited lab for the substances you care about. If you want a quick look at a supplier's paperwork, we offer a free 20-minute sourcing review.