#Sustainability

2021-04-01

For more transparency in the leather industry

The Sustainable Leather Foundation CIC and the OEKO-TEX® Association have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which the two parties will work collaboratively across a number of areas which will benefit the global leather industry.

The primary aim of this MoU is for the parties to work together in a collaborative and pre-competitive way that supports improvement in standards and promotes ethical, fair, and open dialogue for the common good of the leather industry. Specific objectives include:

identifying equivalency of standards for the purposes of certification in the leather industry, to reduce burden and duplication of effort on the leather manufacturers
identifying common areas of work for joint development to provide more harmonised sets of standards and expectations with the global leather value chain
working collaboratively on joint communications, meetings and events that help to support understanding and improvement in the leather industry and for consumers

Deborah Taylor, Managing Director of the Sustainable Leather Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be working with OEKO-TEX® within a formal MoU framework that allows us to support the leather industry more cohesively. OEKO-TEX® are well-recognised as leaders within the textile industry for their work, with over 25 years experience in certifying textile products that have been tested for harmful chemicals.

More recently their portfolio has expanded to include leather as well as textiles and we are looking forward to finding more connected ways to help brands and retailers provide peace of mind and a sense of trust to their consumers”.

Georg Dieners, Secretary General of OEKO-TEX®, commented: “We are very much looking forward to the collaboration with the Sustainable Leather Foundation. With its broad and collaborative approach, the SLF provides enhanced performance and credibility for the end-consumer and the environment. Only in a joint approach with multiple partners will we achieve meaningful impact towards a more transparent and sustainable future”.

OEKO-TEX® chooses TextileGenesis to advance digital traceability for organic cotton

OEKO-TEX® today announced a full collaboration with TextileGenesis, a Lectra company, to digitally trace and authenticate organic cotton, strengthening fraud prevention across the supply chain. This announcement follows a successful pilot and brings together OEKO-TEX®’s certification expertise and closed testing system with TextileGenesis’ digital traceability platform to deliver a secure, end-to-end solution for managing certified organic cotton flows.

OEKO-TEX® - New regulations 2025

Fostering trust within the textile and leather industry remains the mission of OEKO-TEX®. Since trust relies on consistently high standards, the OEKO-TEX® Association has released the updated testing criteria, limit values and guidelines for its certifications, based on the latest scientific research and legal developments.

OEKO-TEX® Annual Report 2023/2024 mentions 50,000+ valid certifications

The international OEKO-TEX® association has continued to demonstrate positive business growth, highlighting the critical role of close collaboration and shared commitment in accelerating sustainable change. More than 35,000 textile and leather companies depend on the certificates and product labels issued by OEKO-TEX®’s independent testing institutes. OEKO-TEX® issued more than 50,000 certificates and labels between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024 – an increase of 22% over the previous financial year.

OEKO-TEX® New regulations 2024

Creating trust within the textile and leather industry and for its customers is the mission of OEKO-TEX®. Since trust is based on consistently high quality, the OEKO-TEX® Association is again publishing updates to the applicable test criteria, limit values and guidelines for its certifications. Based on new scientific findings and legal developments, the OEKO-TEX® Association has published the annual updates to its test criteria, limit values and guidelines.

Hohenstein publishes 2025 Sustainability Report

The testing and research service provider Hohenstein has published its latest sustainability report, outlining key progress and strategic initiatives. The report focuses on ambitious CO₂ reduction targets, the company’s new mission statement and the systematic expansion of sustainable services for customers worldwide.

Global Standard gGmbH launches second public consultation for GRTS Draft 2 for the textile industry (1–30 April 2026)

Global Standard gGmbH is pleased to announce the release of Draft 2 of the Global Responsible Textile Standard (GRTS) for its second public consultation. The consultation will be open from 1 April 2026 to 30 April 2026, inviting stakeholders across the textile and apparel value chain to provide input and contribute to the further development of this new Standard.

Textile Exchange publishes cotton Life Cycle Assessment study to strengthen impact data

Textile Exchange has published the first in a series of seven Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies designed to improve the quality and robustness of environmental impact data for raw material production across the fashion, textile, and apparel industry. The first LCA study focuses on cotton and addresses critical data gaps and methodology variability through new high-quality data across key producing countries. The study includes organic, regenerative, recycled, and country averages for conventional cotton production systems, providing a clearer picture of the associated environmental impact.

Speed and connectivity: Techtextil and Texprocess provided market-ready solutions for industries under pressure

With more than 36,000 visitors and 1,700 exhibitors from a total of 112 countries, Techtextil and Texprocess 2026 demonstrated how innovation comes into industrial use. The convergence of research, industry and application proved to be a breeding ground for new material solutions, manufacturing and processing technologies. Natural fibres, performance apparel, connected systems and AI-driven processing technologies emerged as key growth and future markets.

Italian Textile Machinery heads to Geneva for Index 2026

An important delegation of Italian companies will exhibit at the upcoming INDEX 2026, the world’s leading event for the nonwovens sector, taking place from May 19 to 22 in Geneva (Switzerland). Numerous Italian exhibitors will be present within the Italy Pavilion, organized by the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) and ACIMIT, an exhibition area of over 140 square meters dedicated to the latest innovations proposed by the Italian industry.