ATG , in it’s never ending quest to remain the world leader in glove technology has recently received certification to the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 in what is another world first for a major glove manufacturer. ATG remains a front-runner in value-adding benefits to their many users around the world.
One of their main reasons for applying for this certification is to ensure that ATG differentiates themselves from the many other major glove manufacturers still using toxic solvents in the manufacture of gloves which not only harms the environment, but also has potentially harmful affects when absorbed through the skin through contact while wearing gloves.
Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is an international testing and certification system for textiles, limiting the use of certain chemicals. It was developed in 1992.
The Oeko-Tex label is not only a recognized benchmark for the consumer – it also serves as an additional quality assurance tool for the manufacturer. The concept has become established as a safety standard throughout the textile manufacturing chain and enables checks to be made for any harmful substances at each stage in the production process. The test samples are tested by the independent Oeko-Tex institutes for their pH-value, formaldehyde content, the presence of pesticides, extract-able heavy metals, chlorinated organic carriers and preservatives such as pentachlorophenol and tetrachlorophenol. The tests also include checks for any MAC amines in azo dyestuffs and allergy-inducing dyestuffs. The certificates issued are distributed or allocated in line with the international guidelines and specifications of the Oeko-Tex Test Association.
Responsibility for the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is shared between the 17 test institutes which make up the International Oeko-Tex Association, which has branch offices in more than 40 countries worldwide. The criteria catalogue which forms the basis for the tests for harmful substances is based on the latest scientific findings and is continually updated, ensuring that the requirements for the human ecological safety of the textiles tested are more farreaching every year. The test criteria and the related test methods are standardized on an international level and are widely included as guidance in terms and conditions of purchase and delivery right through to the retail sector. With a total of over 51,000 certificates issued for millions of different individual products, and over 6,500 companies involved worldwide, the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 has become the best known and most successful label for textiles tested for harmful substances.