No professional in the textile industry can underestimate the importance of certifications for clothing, accessories, and other applications. Indeed, producers have to carry out specific tests on their products, in order to guarantee their compliance to current regulations. Over the past ten years, the market’s growing interest in environmental sustainability has led to the introduction of certifications that ensure environmental and social standards are met in every stage of production.

Currently there are several of these standards. On one side, there are system certifications such as ISO 14000, ISO 50000 for energy management and for EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) registration. On the other side, we have Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) certifications, which assess the life cycle of an item of clothing, such as the EU’s ecological quality label ECOLABEL and the EPD (Environmental Product Declarations).

One of the best-known environmental certifications is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which certifies the production of cellulose fabric and was driven by the need to tackle deforestation and all its environmental and social consequences.

OEKO-TEX STeP (Sustainable Textile Production)According to data collected during Milano Unica in 2019, one of the most common certifications in the clothing sector is OEKO-TEX 100. It was born in the Nineties to certify the chemical safety of textile materials and clothing, and was later integrated with OEKO-TEX STeP (Sustainable Textile Production), a certification which assesses the environmental and social sustainability of production processes. OEKO-TEX STeP takes into consideration several criteria: environmental safeguarding, health and safety of the chemical products used, environmental management systems, health and safety of workers and corporate social responsibility. Finally there is OEKO-TEX’s Made in Green, a traceability mark for sustainable textile products made with materials tested against harmful substances, in low environmental impact facilities and in safe workplaces. Every textile product with the Made in Green certification has a QR code, which traces all data regarding the production of the item.

Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is a certification developed by international organisation working in biological agriculture. It aims to guarantee that every step of the production of biological textile products complies with rigorous environmental and social standards: from the harvest of natural fibres and their processing, to labelling and shipping of the finished product.

Bluesign CertificationThe Bluesign Certification was also designed to impose very strict standards in environmental and social sustainability. It was created in Switzerland in 1997 and it monitors the environmental impact of the entire textile industry through Input Stream Management. This means raw materials and consumables are certified before they are used in the production chain.

Reach is the European regulation that monitors chemical substances produces or imported in Europe. It was introduced in 2007 and is made up of 141 articles.

Other interesting standards are the Global Recycle Standard (GRS), which certifies whether semi-finished and finished products contain recycled materials, and ITFashion, a system that requalifies the products of the Italian fashion industry, promoted by Unioncamere (the Italian Union of the Chambers of Commerce) and by the Italian Chambers of Commerce.

In addition, there are social certifications which set standards to protect workers’ rights and monitor compliance to current regulations on exploitation and fair pay.

Gaining these certifications has become essential for companies. Not only to optimise performance in terms of sustainability, but also to strengthen relations with stakeholders and gain the trust of end users.

To find out more about the environmental certifications of Epson GENESTA inks: