OEKO-TEX® ORGANIC COTTON:
Organic by nature, certified by experts

Choose OEKO-TEX® ORGANIC COTTON for a caring approach to our environment and your health. Our ORGANIC COTTON certification offers verification from farm to product. Products bearing this label have been manufactured without the use of GMOs and tested for pesticides and other harmful substances.

The certification greatly supports sustainability, soil health, regenerative farming and biodiversity
Our quantitative GMO test differentiates between contamination and deliberate mixing with conventional cotton
The more intensive the skin contact, the stricter are the human ecology requirements and laboratory tests
We use globally standardised test criteria
The certification complies with international requirements and regulations
We review our limit values for harmful substances at least once a year

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These are the benefits

Certification starts at farm level: IFOAM family of standards proves organic cotton cultivation.
Full coverage and traceability: chain of custody tracked with transaction certificates (documents that track the flow of organic cotton through mass balances) from the farm to the finished product.
Quantitative GMO testing: differentiates deliberate mixing from contamination with conventional cotton or fibre fly.
Centralized database for transactions contributing to fraud-prevention.
Safety from pesticides and other harmful substances such as banned azo colourants, pentachlorophenol, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), cadmium, lead, etc.
Compliance with worldwide regulations, including REACH Annex XIV and XVII, US CPSIA (lead), EU POP regulation and coverage of all textile relevant substances of the ECHA’s SVHC candidate list.
Network of over 35,000 certified companies around the world for easier sourcing of chemicals, materials and business partners along the textile and leather supply chain.
Multiple synergies, e.g. using OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certified chemicals can reduce the testing for an OEKO-TEX® ORGANIC COTTON certification.

For effective protection: 4 product classes

The OEKO-TEX® ORGANIC COTTON laboratory tests for harmful substances are based on the intended use of the textiles and materials. Stricter human ecology requirements must be met, the more intensive the skin contact and the more sensitive the skin is.

Product Class 1
Products for babies and children up to 3 years, such as diapers. This product class has the strictest requirements and limit values.

Product Class 2
Products with direct skin contact, such as bed linens.

Product Class 3
Products without direct skin contact, such as jackets.

Product Class 4
Home textiles and other decoration materials, such as curtains.

Are you looking for certified partners or want to check which brands already have OEKO-TEX® labelled products? The OEKO-TEX® Buying Guide is an online directory for certified products, manufacturers and brands. Use this network of brands and suppliers along the textile and leather chain to find certified articles or to make new business contacts!

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Do you have any questions about our products, the way we test or are you looking for more information about legal requirements and norms? Go to our FAQ page to get the answers or contact us per email.

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Would you like to get an OEKO-TEX®ORGANIC COTTON certification? Are you interested in detailed information regarding the certification process and the requirements? Visit our download area to discover the full documentation or apply for the certification.

Apply for the certification

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This is your path to certification

Application: register online, complete the application form and submit a material sample
Verification: The application and the material sample get verified
Chain of custody verification: Transaction certificate and supply chain analysis
Definition & analytics: Definition of test and measurement criteria, development of an individual measurement plan, testing of the material sample
Results: Evaluation of results and transaction certificate
On-site visit: Inspection and evaluation of your company
Certificate: Issue of certificate for one year