The OEKO-TEX® Association has published two supplements to OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 to add to its already existing product portfolio – an updated version of the already existing Supplement for “Special Articlesâ€Â, and a new Supplement for “Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Materials for PPE (as well as for military garments and uniforms comparable with PPE)â€Â.
Personal protective equipment is a highly specialized market segment in which the protective function of the available products is of crucial importance. To deflect or minimize potentially life threatening hazards by using protective clothing, for example, special materials have to be used. These materials (e.g. fibres, yarns, fabrics) usually have to be manufactured in special conditions with little scope for deviation or alternatives. In order to take this into greater account, the OEKO-TEX® Association decided to publish the new, independent OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 Supplement “Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Materials for PPEâ€Â, which covers this specialized market segment.
The majority of the criteria for PPE clothing and materials are still derived from the Standard 100 criteria catalogue. However, exceptions have been defined for certain substances (not least already on the basis of planned developments at a European level under REACh), including PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and its salts, and “PFOA-related substancesâ€Â.
This was done to take special requirements for a range of important protective materials and functions into account. The supplement also addresses diverse solvents and pigments separately.