Standard-Setting Process
OEKO-TEX®
Edition 01.2023
OEKO-TEX®
International Association for Research and Testing in
the Field of Textile and Leather Ecology
Internationale Gemeinschaft für Forschung und Prüfung
auf dem Gebiet der Textil- und Lederökologie

OEKO-TEX® Association
Genferstrasse 23, CH-8002 Zurich+41 44 501 26 00
info@oeko-tex.com
www.oeko-tex.com

Index
1. Introduction

3

2. Framework

4

2.1 Guiding principles

4

2.2 Sustainability outcomes5

3. Definitions

5

4. Overview organizational structure

7

5. Revision process

8

5.1 Public Stakeholder Consultation

8

5.2 Technical Committee Meeting

9

5.3 Working Group Meetings

9

5.4 Steering Committee

9

5.5 International Advisory Board

10

5.6 Executive Committee

10

5.7 General Manager meeting10

5.8 Publication of the final standard version

10

5.9 Transition period

11

5.10 Complaints

11

5.11 Alignment of benchmarked standards

11

6. Standard development process

12

6.1 Decision for a standard development

12

6.2 Development of a standard and related resources

12

6.3 Pilot testing and stakeholder revision

13

6.4 Final approval and launch

13

6.5 Standard revision

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1. Introduction•

 riven by sustainability and a dedication to transparency, the work of OEKO-TEX® is grounded in provenDscience. Therefore, our OEKO-TEX® standards are revised to ensure that new scientific findings,
new regulations, or market requirements can be implemented and adapted at least on an annual base.

• arious OEKO-TEX® committees track global regulations, scientific data and industry technologies and discuss
Vabout future updates of the OEKO-TEX® standards. The committees consist of internal and external experts
from various disciplines and countries. Textile engineers, technicians, chemists, toxicologists, lawyers, social
scientists, marketeers, etc. are represented so that as many perspectives as possible can be considered.
Through this broad expertise and the collaborative negotiation process, we create industry-leading standards
that meet the high demands for transparency and credibility. OEKO-TEX® inspires trust in the textile andleather industry.

• he development and revision of the OEKO-TEX® standards is based on expertise of the 17 international testingT
institutes of the OEKO-TEX® Association. Furthermore, the concerns of stakeholders are highly important in the
OEKO-TEX® Standard-Setting Process. The OEKO-TEX® Public Stakeholder Consultation as well as theInternational Advisory Board ensure that the interests of all relevant stakeholders are considered in the
OEKO-TEX® Standard-Setting Process.

• his document lays down the OEKO-TEX® Standard-Setting Process to be followed for developing newTstandards and the revision of existing standards and its corresponding supporting documents.

•

This document will be updated if a revision on the OEKO-TEX® Standard-Setting Process needs to be done.

• he purpose of the OEKO-TEX® Standard-Setting Process is to ensure that all OEKO-TEX® standards are andTremain effective and credible. This aim is reached by incorporating transparency values  and stakeholder
engagement and to be in compliance with national and international laws as well as best practices for standards.

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2. Framework
2.1 Guiding principles
The OEKO-TEX® Association defines the following guiding principles for the standard-setting:• he revision of the OEKO-TEX® standards shall take place on an annual basis. In case of an urgent need, promptTrevisions and amendments should be made during the year. Implementation manuals and implementation example
documents may be continuously updated between the standard revisions.

•A consistent standard-setting process shall be ensured following the defined decision-making structures (ref. figure 1).

•

 he standard shall be structured allowing monitoring and progress evaluation towards achieving the standardTobjectives as set in the Theory of Change (OEKO-TEX_Theory_of_Change.pdf).

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OEKO-TEX® should strive for simplicity and clarity in the structure, language, and content of the standards.

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 nvironmental, social and economic objectives of the standards shall be clearly specified in the standardEdocument or the supporting documents.

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 he process shall ensure that OEKO-TEX® maintains its global focus at all times. Therefore, OEKO-TEX®
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considers the most important international guidelines (e.g., EU, ECHA; Prop65) in standard-setting. Institutesof the OEKO-TEX® Association should monitor changes in regional regulations and take them up for discussion
in the Technical Committee if necessary.

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OEKO-TEX aims that the standards go beyond laws and regulations in order to enhance its impact on sustainability.

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 EKO-TEX® should make sure that the standards remains technically and economically feasible for a wideOrange of customers.

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The revision and development of standards shall prevent contradictions between the scopes of the standards.

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The standard shall not favor a particular technology or patented item.

• evelopments of the standards should be based on the latest scientific findings and analysis to ensure that theDstandards reflect the most current and relevant scientific knowledge and practices.

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 EKO-TEX® should strive for the harmonization with globally recognized standards, systems and practices
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wherever relevant and possible in order to amplify recognition and adoption of the standards. OEKO-TEX® shallconsider those standard systems acknowledged within OEKO-TREX® standards as well as similar standard
systems in the further development of the OEKO-TEX® standard. A review shall be carried out.

•

 EKO-TEX® shall keep details of all standard developments, revisions processes and records on file for minimumO
5 years and make them available to stakeholders upon request.
This includes the following:
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OEKO-TEX® Standard-Setting Process
OEKO-TEX® organizational overview
List of stakeholders contacted throughout the OEKO-TEX® Public Stakeholder Consultation process
OEKO-TEX® Public Stakeholder Consultation content
OEKO-TEX® Public Stakeholder Consultation feedback and summaries
Versions of the standards

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2.2 Sustainability outcomes• he UN Sustainable Development Goals are a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for allTpeople. OEKO-TEX® supports the industry and society on its path of transforming the world through actions.
The OEKO-TEX® portfolio of independent certifications and product labels enables companies along the textile
and leather supply chain and all consumers to make responsible decisions in favor of products that are harmlessto health, environmentally friendly and manufactured in a socially responsible way.

• he sustainability outcomes are described in the OEKO-TEX® Theory of Change:
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OEKO-TEX_Theory_of_Change.pdf

3. Definitions
OEKO-TEX® Association	Association consisting of the OEKO-TEX® secretariat and independent textile andleather testing institutes.
OEKO-TEX® 		Group of managing directors of the OEKO-TEX® secretariat and the
Executive Committee 		founding institutes of the OEKO-TEX® Association, which makes strategic andtactical decisions based on internal findings and proposals from the Working
Groups and Committees as well as the input from different stakeholders.
OEKO-TEX®			
General Management

Body of representatives of each of the OEKO-TEX® institutes, with the task
 f defining and expressing final positions and recommendations and to decide onothe further development of the standards and to define the strategic orientation.

OEKO-TEX® International
Advisory Board 			Body of stakeholder representatives for the professional monitoring of the further
development of standards.

OEKO-TEX® International
Group of responsible marketing persons of the institutes formed to exchange
Marketing Meeting 		knowledge and experience as well as to discuss and decide on OEKO-TEX®
marketing strategy and processes.
OEKO-TEX® Public		
Stakeholder Consultation

Public consultation taking place biannually to involve all stakeholders in the standards etting process and giving them the possibility feedback on the OEKO-TEX®
standards and future developments.

OEKO-TEX® standards 	The results of the joint research and development of the OEKO-TEX® institutes.
The standards are publicly available on our website www.oeko-tex.com.

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OEKO-TEX®
Standard-Setting Process

The procedure for development and revision of OEKO-TEX® standards defined ina document of the same name.

OEKO-TEX® stakeholders

 ny organisation that can directly or indirectly influence and/or impact the visionAand mission of OEKO-TEX®.

OEKO-TEX®			Steering Committee

Body for the technical examination and evaluation of proposals made by the echnical Meetings, consisting of representatives of the institutes and theT
OEKO-TEX® secretary.

OEKO-TEX®
supporting documents

Documents that define the unified interpretation of the standards such as the EKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN implementation examples or the OEKO-TEX®
OSTANDARD 100 testing methods.

OEKO-TEX®			Groups made up of experts from the testing institutes in various areas andTechnical Committees 		countries who jointly discuss possible adjustments. Textile engineers, technicians,
chemists, lawyers, social scientists, marketers, etc. are represented so that as many
perspectives as possible can be considered.
OEKO-TEX®			
Working Groups

Bodies composed of experts from the OEKO-TEX® institutes, with the task ofscientifically preparing and supporting analyses, studies and trials.

Shall				Indication of a mandatory requirement.

Should				Indication of a recommendation.

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4. Overview organizational structure
Decision making within the OEKO-TEX® Association is conducted on operational, strategical, and political levelwithin a defined organizational structure, which is shown in figure 1:

Process

General Manager
political

1 time a year / October

Voting / Approval

Executive Committee

strategic

1 time a year / August

Final Proposals

Steering Committee
1 time a year / August

Public Stakeholder
Consultation

International Advisory Board
1 time a year / April

General
IAB inputs

Inputs1.  Voting /Approval final  Proposals
2. General inputs

Final Proposals
with strategic impact

operational

Working Groups
During January - December

Communication /Validation

ProposalsCommunication /Validation

ProposalsInternational Marketing MeetingTechnical Meetings
2 times a year / January & June

1 time a year / June

Figure 1: OEKO-TEX® organizational overview

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5. Revision process
The OEKO-TEX® standards are revised and updated through continuous improvement, which involves a regularprocess for comprehensive revisions of the standards. The following steps shall be taken:

5.1 Public Stakeholder Consultation•

 very two years OEKO-TEX® shall conduct a Public Stakeholder Consultation available to all interest groups on
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the OEKO-TEX® website. The OEKO-TEX® secretariat shall inform about the Public Stakeholder Consultation on
the OEKO-TEX® website, through newsletter, via email and social media prior to the start of the Public
Stakeholder Consultation.

•

 hrough a stakeholder mapping process, OEKO-TEX® shall identify interest groups that are likely to affect orT
be affected by the scope of the consultation. Those individuals or groups shall be proactively invited to theparticipation at the OEKO-TEX® Public Stakeholder Consultation.

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 tandard organisations whose standards have been benchmarked with the OEKO-TEX® standards shall be key
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stakeholders in the standards development and revision process. The OEKO-TEX® secretariat should engage
with them directly in the OEKO-TEX® Public Stakeholder Consultation process.

• takeholders are asked to provide feedback on the current standard versions as well as the future developments
Sin at least one round of public consultation. The first round shall normally include a period of at least 60 days forthe submission of comments.

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 he OEKO-TEX® secretariat shall consolidate and organize the comments. The OEKO-TEX® secretariat shallT
present the consolidated feedback to the Working Groups in developing proposals to update the OEKO-TEX®
standards.

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 here substantive issues persist after the consultation or where insufficient feedback was received, an additionalW
feedback round should be carried out. The second round of consultation shall normally include a period of 30 days.

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 fter the consultation, first insights shall be prepared and published on the OEKO-TEX® website.
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The document shall highlight the number and type of stakeholders who participated in the consultation, thelocation of participants as well as summarized results.

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 EKO-TEX® shall publish detailed feedback in how far the individual comments received have been consideredOin the OEKO-TEX® Standard-Setting Process. The OEKO-TEX® secretariat should sent the feedback directly toall parties that submitted comments.

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5.2 Technical Committee meeting• uring the Technical Committee meetings information and experience are exchanged. The meetings serve asDa discussion platform where proposals for OEKO-TEX® products regarding all important (standard, intranet,
audit, test methods, guidebook) shall be made.

• xternal factors that potentially have an influence on the intended sustainability outcomes (ref. chapter 2.2)
Eshould be considered in the discussions and elaboration of proposals.

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Technical Committee is informed about the decisions taken by the Working Group or strategic committees.

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Technical Committee meetings shall take place twice a year, usually at the beginning and mid of a year.

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The OEKO-TEX® secretariat shall be responsible for the organization and coordination.

5.3 Working Group meetings•

 orking Groups should meet regularly for compilation and deepening of the proposals made in the TechnicalW
Committee meetings. Elaborations and discussions are presented in the Technical Committee meetings.
Additionally, feedback from external stakeholders of the OEKO-TEX® Public Stakeholder Consultation shall be
discussed and considered for implementation. They shall work on document optimization, product developments
and implementation across all standards. The implementation shall be coordinated by the respective
OEKO-TEX® Working Group leader.

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The Working Group shall have the right to decide on technical or operational changes.

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I n case of conceptual changes, an approval by a strategic committee shall be made. A conceptual change ischaracterized by the fact that it has a business impact on the OEKO-TEX® organization, its institutes or its
products and services. Therefore, the Working Group shall prepare a management summary. The OEKO-TEX®
Working Group leader shall be responsible for coordinating and forwarding the management summary to thehigher-level committees.

5.4 Steering Committee• he Steering Committee shall take place once a year after the first Working Group meetings. It is responsible toTgive technical expertise on the proposals and ensures that the OEKO-TEX® standards are developed without
contradictions to each other.

•

 dvice on the proposals made shall be presented to the International Advisory Board, the Executive CommitteeA
and the General Manager meeting.

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5.5 International Advisory Board• he International Advisory Board should give advice and decides on proposals that have been developed by theT
OEKO-TEX® Working Groups and submitted by the Steering Committee. It shall inform the Steering Committee
about priorities and strategies that are relevant to the goals of OEKO-TEX®.

•The OEKO-TEX® secretariat shall be responsible for the coordination of the International Advisory Board.

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Ideas and proposals given by the International Advisory Board shall be discussed in the respective Working Group.

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Whether the respective proposal is followed up or not should be explained by the Working Group.

• urther information about the International Advisory Board can be found here:F
OT_International_Advisory_Board_01.2021.pdf (oeko-tex.com)

5.6 Executive Committee•

 ased on advice from the Steering Committee and International Advisory Board, the Executive Committee shallB
discuss about strategical topics to follow the mission, vision, and values of the OEKO-TEX® Association.

•

Advice shall be given to the Working Groups which are responsible for elaborating the proposals.

5.7 General Manager meeting• uring the annual General Manager Meeting final decisions shall be made ensuring the position in consensus withD
the complete OEKO-TEX® Association.

•I n case of rejections of the proposals, the general managers shall seek to establish the reasons for rejections andforward those to the Working Group for consideration. The Working Group shall then reconvene.
In case of further revision, the draft standard shall be re-submitted to the general managers for approval,
with an explanation on the elaborations.

5.8 Publication of the final standard version•

 he revised versions of the standards shall be published at the beginning of a calendar year.
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It shall be clearly identified with a version number and date.

• enerally, the new regulations shall come into force in the first quater of the respective year of the respective
Gyear with exception for new or more severe requirements. Normally a transition period of implementation should
be set up (ref. Chapter 5.9). Directly affected stakeholders shall be informed regarding the new documents.
Others shall be informed via the media.

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All standards and supportive documents as well as an overview with new regulations shall be made publicly

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5.9 Transition period•

 or the new regulations released beginning of a year a transition period of 3 months should be provided.
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In case of substantial changes, transition periods of more than 3 months can be conducted.

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Verification shall take place during the next conducted audit.

5.10 Complaints•

 ll complaints on issues related to the OEKO-TEX® Standard-Setting Process can be submitted via theA
OEKO-TEX® complaint mechanism. It is publicly available on the OEKO-TEX® website:
Complaint form (oeko-tex.com)

5.11 Alignment of benchmarked standards•

 nce the standard has been revised, benchmarked standards shall carry out together with the OEKO-TEX®
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secretariat an updated benchmarking process to ensure alignment between OEKO-TEX® and partner standards.

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6. Standard development process
OEKO-TEX® aims to support industry and society on its path of transforming the world through action. Therefore,a core task is the development of new standards. To ensure the creation of high-quality standards that meet highdemands for transparency and credibility the following steps shall be taken:

6.1 Decision for a standard development• roposals for the development of a new standard can be raised by any stakeholder in the OEKO-TEX® Public
P
Stakeholder Consultation or by members of the OEKO-TEX® Association in the Technical Committees.

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The proposal maker shall work out first details, the OEKO-TEX® secretariat can assist.

• ased on a demand assessment done by the OEKO-TEX® secretariat and institutes, the decision for theBdevelopment of a standard is made by the general managers.

6.2 Development of a standard and related resources• he development of a new standard shall be assigned by the general managers to an existing working group.
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If necessary, a new working group shall be initiated. The OEKO-TEX® secretariat shall define requirement
criteria for the participation of institutes members and make it available to the institutes. The institutes shallannounce participants and provide their contact information.

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Meetings of the working group should take place regularly and shall be organized by the OEKO-TEX® secretariat.

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 he scope of the standard shall be defined. The mission of the standard shall follow intended sustainabilityToutcomes of OEKO-EX® defined in the Theory of Change: OEKO-TEX_Theory_of_Change.pdf•

 he Working Group shall elaborate a plan for the standard development based on the content of theT
OEKO-TEX® Standard-Setting Process document. It should include tasks, milestones, timelines and responsibilities.
The general managers shall give approval to follow the plan.

• he Working Group shall conduct research on background information and a market analysis.
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Applicable international and national regulations as well as latest research findings shall be considered.

• he standards shall be elaborated and reviewed based on the guiding principles (ref. Chapter 2.1) and researchTfindings.

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 he requirements for the OEKO-TEX® institutes to certify according to the standard shall be defined.
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The Working Group shall analyze and define which institutes of the OEKO-TEX® Association fulfill the criteria.
If there are external criteria (legal requirements or international norms) for the requirement profile, this shall be
included in the standard.

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• he Working Group shall work together with the heads of the OEKO-TEX® secretariat departments to informTthem about the implications and necessary resources. The OEKO-TEX® secretariat departments shall proceed
all necessary steps and develop all required supporting documents and tools in exchange with the Working Groupand other relevant Working Groups. Involved OEKO-TEX® secretariat departments are:
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Business Development
IT & Digitalization
Legal
Marketing
Product Management
Quality
Stakeholder Engagement•

 he working group shall elaborate the pricing based on the structure defined in the OEKO-TEX® Sources of IncomeTdocument: OEKO-TEX_Sources_of_Income. The approval to the price structure is made by the
Executive Committee.

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OEKO-TEX® secretariat shall create and organize internal trainings for the institutes.

6.3 Pilot testing and stakeholder revision•

 he draft standard should be tested or piloted for relevance and auditability. Insights into the results of the pilotTtesting shall be made available on request where there is justified interest.

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Based on a stakeholder mapping, the draft standard shall be sent to important stakeholders for review.

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 laborations of the standard and related supporting documents and tools shall be done based on feedbackE
received through pilot testing and stakeholder revision. In case of rejections of the proposals received throughfeedback OEKO-TEX® shall seek to establish the reasons for rejections and inform the stakeholders.

6.4 Final approval and launch•

The final approval to the launch of a new standard shall be made by the general managers.

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 he new standard shall be made publicly available by the OEKO-TEX® secretariat on the OEKO-TEX® website.
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Based on a stakeholder analysis, potentially directly affecting, or being affected stakeholders should be informed
directly. The standard shall come into force with launch.

6.5 Standard revision•

The revision of the new standard follows the OEKO-TEX® Standard-Setting Process defined in chapter 5.

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