Ecolabels and Organic Certification for Textile Products

Abstract

Consumers demand not only specific functionalities and quality levels for textile products but also safety and ecology. In response to this trend, the fashion supply chain places more and more importance on sustainability, forcing textile producers to respect high environmental and social standards in the entire textile-clothing chain, from raw materials to retail. In some cases, the consumer and postconsumer (reuse, recycle, disposal) phases are also considered. To answer the needs of consumers of eco-friendly products, several eco-labeling systems have been developed, which include specific requirements for “organic” textiles. This chapter presents an overview of the requirements of the major eco-labels that are used a, including the European Union Ecolabel (flower label), Oeko-Tex 100 (and the new certification scheme Sustainable Textile Production), Bluesign, organic certification systems (Global Organic Textile Standard and Organic Content Standard), Fairtrade, and labels from retailer chains (Clear to Wear and Ecosafe).