Is EU'S Eco Textile Certification Green Trade Barrier?

I do not know when the term "eco textiles" has begun to enter people's lives.

In popular terms, it is "

With the pull of the market and the promotion of government departments,

For the European Union's certification of Eco-Lable (ECO sign), Lu, a trading company in Wuhan, told the China Journal of textile inspection that the EU's certification is essentially a green trade barrier.

It is understood that the Eco-Label system was established by the European Community in 1992.

The logo is a small flower pattern, so some people call it "applique", and the product labeled "eco" is called "applique" product. Eco-Lable aims to encourage manufacturers to design environmentally friendly products, so as to provide consumers with environmental protection choices.

Although the logo is launched in legal form, the legal status in the EU is unquestionable, but whether manufacturers are applying for Eco labels is entirely voluntary.

If they apply, they can gain competitive advantage for their products.

So far, the scope of the standard covers consumers' daily necessities (except food and drugs). The range of products involved has reached dozens of textile products, and the speed of its expansion is accelerating.

Because the logo has developed earlier in the field of textile and clothing, and the European Union has carried out the propaganda work in the field through the ecological clothing exhibition and other activities, the eco logo has also developed best in the field of textile and clothing.

According to statistics, there are only 103 European Union enterprises that have won the logo, of which the largest number of textile and clothing companies, and 37 companies, accounting for 1/3.

These companies are mainly from Denmark and France, followed by Spain, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Sweden.

The Eco-label advocated by the European community is the whole ecosystem, which is quite different from some of the ecological concepts we know at the moment, such as the ecological safety of the final products.

The evaluation criteria of Eco-label cover the possible environmental impacts of the entire life cycle of the product, such as the harm of textile products to the environment, ecology and human health in the whole life process, such as fiber planting or production, spinning and weaving, pre processing, printing and dyeing, finishing, garment making, wearing or even discarding.

At present, the number of EU enterprises that have obtained the EU eco logo is relatively small, because the standard of certification is very strict.

In the pursuit of reporters, Chinese enterprises hardly have any shortlisted contestants. Only one report said that a consulting company in Guangdong had passed the verification on behalf of a company, and there was no symptomatic finding. Not only did the company fail to contact, even the consulting company was also empty, and the handset was pferred to a middle-aged woman, who claimed that he knew nothing about it.

The reporter contacted a domestic certification body and asked how to handle Eco-Lable certification. The certification authority also called Eco-Lable very difficult to handle. Because it requires environmental protection in the entire manufacturing chain, the possibility of Chinese organizations passing through is very small.

He also believes that the EU's policy is to create a safe living condition for the people. On the one hand, even through this green trade barrier, the rejection of Chinese products and other countries can relieve the pressure of employment in European Union countries, and the political flavor is strong.

In this sense, the EU eco label is a "green cover".

Oeko-Tex100: we are more representative of public opinion.

Compared with the Eco-Lable eco label of the European Union, it was also born in Europe, and the Oeko-TexStandard jointly developed by the Haines Institute of Austria and the Textile Research Institute of Germany is more popular.

Based on this standard, an International Eco textile research and Inspection Association (Oeko-Tex), consisting of 13 members, was set up, and the Oeko-TexStandard100 certification standard was officially launched.

Compared with the European eco label Eco-label certification, Oeko-TexStandard100 focuses more on the operability of eco textile certification under the current technological and economic conditions, that is, the concept of narrow ecological textiles instead of Eco-label's whole ecological concept.

At present, under the Oeko-Tex flag, there are three main certification standards: Oeko-TexStandard100, Oeko-TexStandard200 and Oeko-TexStandard1000. Oeko-Tex100 stipulates the requirements for ecological safety and certification procedures for textile products, and determines whether the Oeko-TexStandard100 certification labels are allowed by testing the samples.

Oeko-TexStandard200 is a procedural document matching Oeko-TexStandard100 to the test. However, the document does not give specific procedures and technical conditions for the relevant tests. Therefore, it lacks practical guidance and is not too authoritative in the international arena.

Oeko-TexStandard1000 focuses on factory audits, focusing on environmental and ecological safety in the production process.

It is understood that Chinese enterprises are quite welcome to the Oeko-Tex standard. At present, the holding of Oeko-TexStandard100 (ECO textile standard 100) certificate of Chinese enterprises has reached second in the world.

At present, the only official representative office of the international environmental textile association in China is TESTEX Swiss textile certification company.

Domestic textile export enterprises can apply for Oeko-Tex100 certification at the representative office.

The procedures for handling are:

L application manufacturers classify and summarize the products that need to be certified, and identify the products that need to be certified.

L fill out the appendix information declaration form and carry out the Oeko-TexStandard100 certification data declaration. After receiving the required declaration information, the certification body will help the applicant to examine the information, then make the sample instruction and carry out the preliminary cost calculation separately.

L the preparation of test samples for Oeko-TexStandard100 certification by the application manufacturer.

L after receiving the sample instruction, the applicant should actively prepare the test samples and fill in the application form and send it to the TESTEX Beijing office.

L after receiving the test samples, the certifying party will check the data and samples and issue the payment notice.

Money to start testing.

The test usually takes 3-4 weeks.

The certificate will be issued immediately after being qualified.

The L certificate and test report will be faxed first and then mailed to the manufacturer.

L application manufacturer authorizes the use of Oeko-Texstandard100 tags.

One problem perplexing domestic manufacturers is whether the application for certification in the domestic institutions can be mutually recognized with Oeko-Tex100 (i.e. compatibility). For this key issue, the reporter interviewed Li Mingdong, the national eco textile quality supervision and inspection center and the TESTEX Swiss textile certification company. The former seemed to have little interest in the reporters' questions and repeatedly postponed the reply; the latter answered explicitly, and the two accreditation was not mutually acceptable.

Mr. Li Mingdong added, "Oeko-Tex certification should mainly be for exporting to the European Union, and domestic certification is mainly for the domestic market."

In view of this, the two certifications have certain regional applicability, and basically should be the well water does not attack the river.

Domestic certification: beware of Shanzhai

In view of the fire in the eco textile market, many manufacturers are very anxious.

Some private certification bodies have also tacit knowledge, and have launched various authentication schemes at different levels.

This "cottage edition" certification has met with some official certification bodies' rebuke. The head of a monitoring organization said, "the existing textile and garment inspection institutions, except for the statutory inspection institutions wholly funded by the state, are mostly backward hardware conditions, lack of research and development capabilities, and the test results are generally not recognized by foreign buyers, and can not meet the needs of the international market."

In January 2000, the State Environmental Protection Administration approved and began to implement the "eco textiles" standard, indicating the state's concern for the health of clothing.

In November 2002, the state promulgated and implemented the technical requirements of ecological textiles.

This standard divides the eco textile products into 4 categories according to their final uses, that is, infant products, direct contact with skin products, non direct contact with skin products and decorative articles.

Prohibited or limited targets were prescribed for hazardous substances.

In 2006, the state launched a series of national standard methods for testing harmful substances in textiles, which provided a scientific basis for the identification of ecological textiles.

These standards are based on the requirements of European eco textile certification, combined with domestic practice, but they are only promoted, not enforced.

Some ordinary consumers expressed the confusion about the domestic standards of eco textiles. On the one hand, the state should vigorously strengthen publicity, otherwise it would not be known.

On the other hand, it is more practical to strengthen consumer education so that consumers can learn how to identify and fake green products, so that they can really form the market environment of China's eco textile market, so that they can really add points to the rich people.