Oeko-Tex will launch its "Trust in Every Thread" campaign on Oct. 12, two weeks after EU rules took effect that prohibit most sustainability labels unless they meet strict certification and independence criteria.

The Sept. 27 start of enforcement under the EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (ECGT) bars sustainability labels unless a public authority established them or they qualify under a recognised certification scheme. For private schemes such as Oeko-Tex, the directive demands:

• publicly available criteria;
• independent monitoring of compliance;
• procedures to withdraw or suspend a label when requirements are breached, with the monitor independent of both the scheme owner and the label user.

For suppliers shipping into the EU, the compliance question is straightforward: which labels on their goods survive the new test?

How does Standard 100 hold up?

Oeko-Tex positions its Standard 100 as aligned with the directive's demands. The certification requires articles to meet limits for more than 1,000 harmful substances, covering components down to buttons, zippers and thread. The organisation reviews limit values at least once a year, with strictest limits applied to products for babies and children up to age three.

Retesting is the scheme's core control: a quarter of issued certificates go back through Oeko-Tex's quality control programme, alongside site visits and audits.

"Trust is not a word you can put on a label. It is built in the places nobody looks: in the button, the zipper, the thread, in the limits we revise every year because the science moves, in a quarter of our certificates we go back and retest," said Inga Bleyer, Oeko-Tex's head of marketing and communication, in a statement.

What has changed in governance?

Oeko-Tex has restructured to match the directive's independence requirements. In an Aug. 19 announcement, it separated standard setting from conformity assessment and created a new independence council plus an anonymous whistleblowing system.

"Consumer protection begins with trust, and trust only arises when what is claimed is independently verified. We anchor independence even more firmly and make it transparently verifiable for everyone," CEO Alfred J. Beerli said in a statement.

The ECGT Directive also restricts claim scope. Brands cannot extend a benefit tied to one product feature into an environmental claim about the whole item, and vague language such as "eco-friendly" faces restriction — a drafting discipline that will land on suppliers' technical and marketing files.

Where does Made in Green fit?

Beyond harmful-substance testing, Oeko-Tex's Made in Green label adds production conditions and traceability. It combines product certification with factory requirements under the Step programme, which audits environmental and social conditions at manufacturing sites. A product ID or QR code discloses where and how an item was made.

Demand is moving in that direction. Oeko-Tex reported more than 13 percent growth in Made in Green demand in its 2025-26 annual report, announced in September.

The campaign urges buyers to check three things: the claim, the proof and access to that proof. Oeko-Tex's existing Label Check tool lets users scan a QR code or enter a certificate number or product ID to verify a label.

The sourcing decision this forces: EU-bound suppliers should audit every label on their current production against the ECGT criteria, and where labels cannot demonstrate independent monitoring and published criteria, they must either shift to qualifying schemes such as Standard 100 and Made in Green, or strip the claims before goods reach the EU market.