Safety & Health

The international competition forces the sector to focus more and more on textiles with a high added value, by adding extra functionalities to the products. In the field of standardisation this leads to the progressive development of standards regarding these new textile materials. These standards require that the manufacturers of materials and textile (product) substantiate their product claims, that the product does not have any harmful side-effects and that the added functionalities are durable and resistant to (frequent) maintenance and heavy use.

This evolution corresponds to the consumer's growing concern for safety and health, which is even strengthened by the European Product Safety Directive (2001/95). In support of this legislation, Europe is constantly developing standards to e.g. detect certain harmful substances (azo-deystuffs, fire retardants), to assess the burning behaviour of nightwear and the safety of children's clothing, etc. Certain initiatives have been taken to incorporate a number of requirements of voluntary eco-labels (OEKO-TEX®, EU Flower label) into the European standardisation, giving them as such a more binding character.