Helping Consumers Shop for Safer, More Sustainable Home Goods

We are surrounded by textiles in our homes, from bedding to carpets and curtains to couches. While we all want to make safer, more sustainable purchasing decisions, it can be a struggle to incorporate these shopping habits into our daily lives - mainly because it’s hard to determine which brands to believe in. But these decisions don’t need to be hard. In fact, we should feel joy and confidence when investing in products we trust.

When it comes to textiles for the home, 95 percent of consumers surveyed in the SFC’s Green Home Furnishings Consumer Study expressed interest in purchasing textiles labeled with a third-party certificate as “safe,” and 97 percent want to see certification for “quality materials.” Eighty-seven percent want certification that textiles are produced in a verified environmentally friendly, safe and socially responsible facility.

But lack of awareness about what is, or is not, safe or sustainable is one of the biggest reasons why consumers haven’t shopped with this intention yet. In our Key to Confidence global consumer survey, 50 percent of U.S. respondents said they do not know much about the way textiles are produced. Did you know that certain textiles can release chemicals into the air we breathe or leach them into our skin?

This is where we at OEKO-TEX® come in. We  develop our labels to empower informed decisions.

• Our OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 is one of the world's best-known labels for textiles tested for harmful substances, certifying that the final product and each of its components – including the fabric and accessories – has been rigorously tested for chemicals toxic to humans.

Home good items that carry the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 label help you make responsible decisions in favor of products that are safe to bring home.

• Our OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN label means a product is tested for harmful substances and comes from a facility that implements environmentally friendly production processes – from the use of chemicals to responsible handling of wastewater. Suppliers must also take actions to improve working conditions and strengthen health and safety protection for workers at production sites. 

Home goods with the OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN label protect your family and were produced responsibly and transparently to protect workers and the environment.

It is part of our mission to drive further innovation and make contributions toward a more informed and environmentally friendly society. That is why we are deeply committed to ensuring you can trust that the products you bring home are safer for your family and the planet. We do this by conducting tests and on-site verifications. We also update standards, limit values and restricted substance lists annually and are constantly monitoring legal, NGO, industry, health/scientific and technical information.

As more of us commit to a better future, looking for STANDARD 100 and OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN labels on home goods products is an easy first step.