For the first time since the creation of the Oeko-Tex® Standard 100, in November 2009 the Oeko-Tex® Association has exceeded the record level of 10,000 valid certificates in a twelve month period. The Hohenstein Textile Testing Institute GmbH & Co. KG awarded the 10,000th Oeko-Tex® on 27 November to Anvil Knitwear (USA) for its dyed and printed cotton T-shirts. On 30 November 2009, the most recent record level of certification processes was registered at 10,037.

The main focus of certification activities continues to be on product class II articles which are worn close to the skin (59% of all certificates), followed by baby items (32%) in product class I as well as decorative materials (3%, product class IV) and textiles without direct contact with the skin (2%, product class III).

Broken down by region, the majority of Oeko-Tex® certificates were awarded to companies in Asia (51%) and Europe (45.8%). But even regions which normally have far fewer certificates, such as North America, were able to register significant growth. China tops the list of awarded certificates (16.9%), closely followed by Germany (16.0%), and then Turkey (7.6%), Italy (6.9%) and Hong Kong (5.3%).

Currently, about 10,000 manufacturers in 88 countries are active participants in the Oeko-Tex® testing and certification system. Almost 90,000 certificates have been awarded for millions of labeled textile products since 1992.

Source: Oeko-Tex® Association