OETS 100 SalesPro HOME TEXTILES EN - Oeko-Tex

OEKO-TEX® SALESPRO GAMES 2012
FOR SALES PROFESSIONALS
Home textiles category
Testing textiles for harmful
substances
Know more – give better advice
Sign up by 15.05.2012 at www.oeko-tex.com/salespro
Training material
Training provided by the
Foundation OEKO-TEX® and
the Federation of German
Textile Retailers (BTE)
BTE
Bundesverband
Textileinzelhandel

TRAINING MATERIAL
The OEKO-TEX®
Standard 100 – what is it?
The product label “Confidence in Textiles
– textiles tested for harmful substances
according to OEKO-TEX® Standard 100”
is an independent certification system
for textile products of all kinds (untreated
and dyed/finished yarns and fabrics,
manufactured articles, accessories)
which have been proved to be free of any
substances which might be harmful to
people‘s health.
In order for an article to be certified and
endorsed with the OEKO-TEX® label, every
part of it without exception must comply
with the required test criteria - so not only
the outer material and the sewing yarns
but also accessories like ribbons, cords and
filling foam, as well as any coatings, prints
or other patches.
Labels
The laboratory testing and certification of
the textiles is carried out by one of the 15
OEKO-TEX® member institutes in Europe
and Japan. In Germany and France, the
certificates are issued by the OEKO-TEX®
Certification Centre.
The testing for harmful substances is
based on an extensive list of criteria
which is updated annually and sets out
requirements for safe textile products
that apply universally worldwide. The test
criteria cover:
• legally banned and regulated substances
(e.g. certain carcinogenic dyes, phthalates
and heavy metals such as nickel)
• chemicals that are harmful to the health
but for which there are not yet any
statutory regulations
(e.g. certain allergenic dispersion dyes,
pesticides, tin organic compounds)
• parameters for health protection
(e.g. a skin-friendly pH value,
good colour-fastness)
Sewing thread
Zips
Press studs
Fabrics
Jeans
Chart: In order for an article to be
certified and endorsed with the
OEKO-TEX® label, every part of it
without exception must comply
with the required test criteria.

OEKO-TEX® SALESPRO GAMES 2012
FOR SALES PROFESSIONALS
What kind of products carry the OEKO-TEX® label
and where can I find them?
The main focus for product certification
under the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is on
clothing and domestic textiles, but it also
apples to technical and medical textiles.
When it comes to domestic textiles, the
“Confidence in Textiles” label is most
widely used for sensitive products such
as bed-linen, bedding and towelling
products of all kinds. However, numerous
other furnishing materials such as
curtains, blinds, net curtains, textile floor
and wall coverings and upholstery fabrics
can be endorsed with the OEKO-TEX®
label.
Since product labelling is voluntary, not
all certified articles also carry the OEKO-
TEX® label. In cases of doubt, it is therefore
worth asking the manufacturer about
specific items - and this is where you can
score as a specialist salesperson!
OEKO-TEX® certified textiles are available
in all sections of the retail trade:
• in specialist household textile retailers
• in specialist departments of department
stores
• from mail-order retailers (catalogues and
online)
• from discount stores in the non-food sector
• on online portals and exchange markets
Why OEKO-TEX®? – 4 good reasons
Textiles certified under the OEKO-
1
TEX® Standard 100 offer consumers
real additional benefits!
They have been proved not to be harmful
to our health and at the same time they
also have other product properties which
consumers are looking for today, depending
on the intended purpose of the textiles:
– soft and easy-care materials, bright
colours and patterns, good colourfastness,
a long service life, reasonable
price etc.
Much of what we wish for and
2
expect to find in modern textile
products can only be achieved with the
use of certain chemicals!
That is why it is all the more important
that no undesirable substances are used
during the textile production, which could
remain as a residue in the end product and
cause health problems for the wearer.
The safety of textiles is a quality
3
feature which cannot be judged by
the naked eye - neither by you as a trained
sales representative nor by the buyer
themselves!
Whether or not an article contains
undesirable harmful substances can
only be established beyond doubt by
specific tests in the laboratory. There is
different legislation on possible harmful
substances for different processing stages
and countries. That is why the OEKO-TEX®
list of criteria is so important, because it is
applied consistently worldwide.
OEKO-TEX® product classes
The voluntary OEKO-TEX® label
4
contributes to greater product
safety, because it covers numerous
substances and test parameters which are
not yet explicitly regulated by law.
That is why the label is a valuable
supplement to the legal regulations and
product controls imposed by national
investigating offices. OEKO-TEX® criteria
still often provide the precedent for new
legislation and greater consumer protection.
Under the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100, a distinction is made between four product classes, depending on the intensity of the contact
with the skin:
Product Class I
Articles for babies and
toddlers under the age of 3
such as rompers, bibs, bedlinen,
pillows, blankets, towels,
bath-robes, face-cloths,
changing mats, sleeping bags,
stuffed toys and many more
Product Class II
Articles used close to the
skin
such as clothing worn next to
the skin, or, in the domestic
textiles sector, pyjamas,
pillows, blankets, bed-linen,
towels, mattresses etc.
Product Class III
Articles not in contact with
the skin
e.g. jackets, coats, outdoor
items etc.
Product Class IV
Furnishing fabrics for
decorative purposes
e.g. table linen, blinds,
curtains, net curtains,
bedspreads, floor coverings,
upholstery fabrics, loose
covers, throws, wall coverings
etc.

BTE & FOUNDATION OEKO-TEX®
Home sweet home –
7 facts for all-round safety
The aim of product certification under
the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is to endorse
products that have been proved not to be
harmful to people’s health.
For consumers, the “Confidence in
Textiles” label provides a high degree of
security in several different regards:
The test criteria and methods
1
underpinning the OEKO-TEX® label
are based on the specific intended use
Products in direct and intensive contact
with the skin have to meet stricter
requirements than articles that are not
worn next to the skin. Because babies have
particularly sensitive skin, there are even
stricter specfications for their products
than for textiles like bed-linen that are in
contact with the skin.
The test criteria are updated every
2
year and are mandatory
worldwide.
So it makes no difference where
OEKO-TEX® certified products were
manufactured or sold.
A certificate is only awarded if all
3
the components of an end product
comply with the OEKO-TEX® requirements.
The OEKO-TEX® test methods take
4
account of all the possible ways in
which harmful substances may be
absorbed into the human body:
> by inhaling (emissions testing)
> by swallowing (simulation tests using
synthetic saliva solution)
> through the skin (simulation tests using
synthetic sweat solution)
The laboratory tests are carried out
5
only by specialised, independent
and accredited textile testing institutes.
OEKO-TEX® also carries out random
6
checks after the certificate has
been issued, to ensure continued
compliance with the required test criteria.
Products bearing the OEKO-TEX® label
are purchased from retailers and tested
in the laboratory. Product inspections are
carried out every year on at least 20% of
all certificates issued.
Consumers can check the validity
7
of an OEKO-TEX® label themselves
at any time on the Internet, using the test
number on the label.
(www.oeko-tex.com/validity)
Further training for the Home Textiles
category / SalesPro Games 2012
More training material, entitled
„A good sign - the „Confidence in
Textiles“ label“, can be downloaded
from www.oeko-tex.com/salespro.
You can also order it in pocket format
as an information brochure for your
customers from OEKO-TEX®.
Matratzen, Bettwäsche, Frottierware,
Bettwaren, Kissen, Decken, Gardinen,
Kundeninformation Vorhänge, Dekostoffe, Tischwäsche,
Heimtextilien Möbelstoffe, zum Wohlfühlen textile Wand- und
Bodenbeläge, Vorleger, Babybettwaren,
Babybettwäsche u.v.m.
Ein gutes Zeichen:
Das Label „Textiles Vertrauen“
A good sign –
The „Confidence in Textiles“
label
Consumer information
Shop smart – look for the
OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 label
It’s a symbol you can rely on!
Shop smart–
with the OEKO-TEX®
Standard 100 label

Why is testing for harmful substances
particularly important for home textiles?
Features of high-quality
home textiles
Towels
soft but absorbent materials,
fashionable colours and designs
good colour-fastness, easy-care
materials
available over many years /
more can be bought later
Table linen
hard wearing, long-lasting
materials
resistant to light
Domestic textiles used in contact with
the skin
Bed-linen is in direct contact with large
areas of our skin for several hours at a
time. Furthermore, pillow cases and duvet
covers, as well as sheets, often come in
dark colours or with bright prints. Another
important factor is that people give off up
to quarter of a litre of sweat every night
and that skin which is moist with sweat
generally makes undesirable substances
more likely to be released from the textile
material.
Naturally, the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 has
been protecting people from carcinogenic
dyes, pesticides and problematic
preservatives such as pentachlorophenol
(PCP) for 20 years now. In addition, in the
case of bed-linen, OEKO-TEX® also requires
good colour-fastness in the certified
products, as well as the usual criteria. The
resistance of the test samples to rubbing,
sweat and water is assessed to ensure that
even where there is a lot of movement, and
sweaty skin, no undesirable substances
are released from the textile material
which could be absorbed by the body.
Another focus for the OEKO-TEX®
laboratory testing is to exclude allergenic
substances such as nickel (e.g. in buttons
or zip fasteners), formaldehyde (used to
help the textile keep its shape and avoid
creasing) and certain dispersion dyes
(used to dye synthetic bed-linen fabrics
containing polyester and polyamide).
Furnishing fabrics for decorative purposes
In the case of larger furnishing fabrics such
as table-cloths, curtains, blinds, upholstery
covers or floor coverings, undesirable
components can escape into the air and
be inhaled by people as they breathe.
Another factor is that this kind of item is
usually not washed before use and rarely
afterwards.
OEKO-TEX® laboratory testing therefore
ensures that furnishing materials do not
pose a health risk right from the start.
In addition to the usual requirements,
items with a large surface area or volume
(e.g. including mattresses) also have to
go through special emissions testing, to
ensure that they do not release volatile
substances into the atmosphere.
easy-care
Bed-linen
bright colours, fashionable designs
good colour-fastness
long service life
easy-care
keep their shape (don‘t shrink)
Blinds/curtains
brilliant colours
resistant to light
Decorative materials
fashionable colours and designs
available over many years /
more can be bought later
wide range of materials
Bedding
very comfortable to sleep in
(thermal insulation, breathability)
long service life
hygienic easy-care materials

OEKO-TEX® SALESPRO GAMES 2012
FOR SALES PROFESSIONALS
3 tips for selling
Be proactive in pointing out to your
1
customers the additional benefits
of textiles that have been tested for
harmful substances under the OEKO-TEX®
Standard 100.
Many customers do value the safety of the
articles they are buying but may initially
have other priorities (bright colours and
patterns, long lasting, easy to wash, soft
and supple materials etc.) and may not
even know that there are products that
have been tested for harmful substances.
At www.oeko-tex.com/salespro
2
you can find a list of OEKO-TEX®
certified manufacturers and brands in the
domestic textiles sector.
Look to see whether you have products
from these manufacturers/brands in your
own range and point out to interested
customers that there is a list of OEKO-TEX®
certified branded articles that anyone
can look at on the OEKO-TEX® website at
www.oeko-tex.com/brands
For more and more consumers,
3
environmentally friendly and
socially responsible production of textiles
plays an important role in their purchasing
decisions.
(I)
Demonstrate your specialist expertise
by pointing out to your customer that
there is a special certification process
for assessing environmentally friendly
and socially responsible production
processes at textile factories – the
OEKO- TEX® Standard 1000.
(II) Try to explain to your customer as
clearly as possible the main idea
behind the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 –
what it can actually achieve:
> the aim of the certification is to
exclude possibly harmful substances
from textile production and so to
offer consumers safe products.
> In that context, the “Confidence in
Textiles” label is not only suitable
for “niche products” made of organic
raw materials and produced in
environmentally friendly conditions
but covers a wide range of the
products that are available today
and produced using conventional
methods.
(III) For example, you could also explain
to your customer that the use of
raw materials from certified organic
farms (“organic cotton”) by no means
guarantees that textile products
are safe – as a result of subsequent
production stages such as dyeing and
finishing, harmful chemicals can end
up in these textiles too.
Use your knowledge to score points and win!
In the year of the summer Olympics, measure your specialist knowledge
against colleagues from all over Europe in the “OEKO-TEX® SalesPro
Games 2012”. The best sales staff from various product categories will
be able to enjoy a trip to London to the Olympic Games or one of several
valuable material prizes.
www.oeko-tex.com/salespro
BTE
Bundesverband
Textileinzelhandel
More information and contact: International OEKO-TEX® Association | Secretariat | Gotthardstrasse 61 | Postfach 2156 | CH-8027 Zürich | info@oeko-tex.com |
www.oeko-tex.com | Foundation OEKO-TEX® GmbH | Kaiserstraße 39 | 60329 Frankfurt | Germany | info@certification-oekotex.com