Did you know that many of the objects in your house–clothes, mattresses, furniture, toys, baby products–often contain harmful chemicals that could impact your health and the environment? For example, phthalates and flame retardants have been linked to cancer. Plasticizers have been linked to asthma and cancer. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are found in everything from furniture to clothes, and they negatively impact the air quality in your home. In addition to this, the manufacturing process of these products can also have negative impacts on local water supply and air quality, consequently impacting surrounding communities.
To combat these issues, there are many certifications oriented towards providing healthier and more sustainable options to consumers. Here are two of the most common you'll see:
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
GOTS is comprised of four reputed member organizations: OTA (USA), IVN (Germany), Soil Association (UK) and JOCA (Japan). The GOTS standard sets requirements to ensure "organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labelling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer." GOTS covers all parts of the supply chain and is one of the highest standards among certifications.
To meet the GOTS standard, at least 95% of the fiber content of the products must be of certified organic origin. If the GOTS label states that it's "made with x% organic materials," that means 70-94% of the product's content is certified organic origin. GOTS standards prohibit the use of many chemical inputs due to their negative environmental and/or toxicological impacts. Among these prohibited chemicals are...
Flame retardants
Chlorinated benzenes
Chlorophenols
Endocrine disrupters
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
Heavy metals
Plasticizers (including phthalates)
Oeko-Tex Standard 100
18 independent research and test institutes in Europe and Japan joined to create Oeko-Tex and to develop test methods and limit values. Oeko-Tex has several different labels used for different certifications such as production and final products. Their "Standard 100" is a certification for textiles and finished products that places limits on the use of some chemicals and prohibits the use of others, such as certain flame retardants and allergens. While the Oeko-Tex certification is not as high a standard as GOTS certification, though it is a better standard than no standard.
More Certifications
REFERENCES
Global Organic Textiles Standard (Gots) Version 5.0. (2017) (pp. 1–40).
Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX Edition 02. (2020).
Brad, A., Delemare, A., Hurley, N., Lenikus, V., Mulrenan, R., Nemes, N., … Urbancic, N. (2018). The False Promise of Certifications. Changing Markets Foundation.
Photo by Mel Poole on Unsplash
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