Here at Elves in the Wardrobe we love all things organic. A lot of care and energy goes into providing our customers with a lovingly, hand-picked selection of organic baby and children clothes.
When shopping on our online organic clothing store, you may have noticed that there are different certification labels attached to different products. We use two different certification methods for our organic clothes, GOTS certified organic and Oeko-Tex certified.
So what differentiates these two certificates? What do they mean?
Let me explain:
GOTS Organic Certifications
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is the world’s leading textile processing standard for organic fibres. It is accepted in all major markets and ensures the organic status of textile products.
This certification covers every stage of production from the raw materials through the manufacturing, all of which must be environmentally and socially responsible. This certification provides consumers with a credible assurance that the product they are buying is both organic and thoughtfully and sustainably produced.
In order to be certified, textiles must be made from at least 70% certified organic natural fibres. The final products may include, but are not limited to; fibre products, yarns, fabrics, clothes and home textiles. A textile product carrying the GOTS label grade ‘organic’ must contain a minimum of 95% certified organic fibres whereas a product with the label grade ‘made with organic’ must contain a minimum of 70% certified organic fibres.
At all stages of processing, organic fibre products must be separated from conventional fibre products and be free of a whole spectrum of chemicals and known toxic such as; chlorine bleach, heavy metals and azo dyes.
In addition, manufacturers must have a credible environmental policy in place that covers production factors such as; fair labour practices (including no child labour), water consumption, wastewater treatment and packaging that does not utilize PVC plastic.
In our shop most of our brands produce 100% GOTS- certified organic baby and kid’s clothes. These brands include - loud+proud, Leela Cotton, Duns Sweden, More than a Fling, Pat & Patty & Ubang.
The Oeko-Tex Standard
The Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 was first introduced at the beginning of the 1990s in response to rising demand for the production of textiles that posed no health risks.
“Poison in textiles” and other negative headlines were widespread at that time and indiscriminately branded all chemicals used in textile manufacturing as negative and dangerous to health.
The Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 was developed through the collaborative efforts of labs in Austria and Germany. It is a globally uniform testing certification system for raw textile materials, intermediate and end products at all stages of production.
Tests for harmful substances can include substances that are prohibited or regulated by law. These tests are carried out to find chemicals that are known to be harmful to health such as; carcinogenic dyestuffs, formaldehyde & heavy metals. They are also carried out for substances, which according to current knowledge are harmful to health but are not yet regulated or prohibited by law, such as; pesticides, allergy-inducing dyestuffs or tin-organic compounds. Precautionary parameters that safeguard health are also tested such as; colorfastness or skin-friendly pH value.
A tested textile product is awarded one of four Oeko-Tex® product classes based on its intended end use. The more intensively a product comes into contact with the skin and the more delicate the skin of the user, the stricter the human ecological requirements it must meet.
Briefly, Product Class 1 is the most stringent and certifies that the textile is safe for babies and children up to the age of three and includes underwear, and bedding. Alba of Denmark, our popular Danish brand produces all of their baby and children’s clothes to Oeko-Tex Class 1 certification.
Product Class 2 covers textiles that, when used as intended, have a large part of their surface in direct contact with the skin.
Product Class 3 covers textiles which, when used as intended, have little or no direct contact with the skin.
Product Class 4 includes home furnishings for decorative purposes such as carpets or curtains.
All of our clothes are covered by one of the two levels of certifications to ensure that Elves in the Wardrobe only provides the highest quality organic baby and kids clothes. Your little ones’ health and safety is always our number one priority.
If you need more information please get in touch, we are more than happy to help!