Shirley Technologies is a wholly owned subsidiary of The British Textile Technology Group (BTTG) Ltd. This was formed during the late 1980s from two globally renowned textile institutions; the Wool Industries Research Association (WIRA), established in 1918, and The Shirley Institute, set up to support the cotton industry in 1919. Shirley Technologies, kept the 'family' name (the Christian name of the daughter of one of the main founders of the Shirley Institute) and has been operating as an autonomous business since July 2003, providing technical support to the industry.

Its client base includes large multinational yarn, fabric and finished product manufacturers, garment producers and high street retailers, consumers, the legal profession, the police, and regulatory testing organisations such as Trading Standards. And, according to operations manager Phil Whitaker, around 5-10% of Shirley Technologies' business comes from the printwear and promotional industry, be it from manufacturers, printers or dyers.

The company is active across the world, with offices overseas, and is also accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to the quality standard for testing laboratories ISO 17025.

The company carries out routine physical and chemical tests, either to UKAS or to its own in-house methods for fibres, yarns, fabrics and finished goods. These tests include: tensile strength, burst strength, tearing strength and seam slippage; abrasion and pilling resistance; fibre, yarn and fabric composition; and colourfastness. But perhaps most relevant to the printwear sector is its status as the UK's exclusive Oeko-Tex certifying body. Oeko-Tex Standard 100, which several companies in the printwear industry hold, is the leading label for textiles that have been screened for harmful substances.

Shirley Technologies joined the Oeko-Tex Association in 1994 and provides a full testing and monitoring service as well as guidance and advice to prospective and current certificate holders.

Oeko-Tex Standard 100

Oeko-Tex standard 100 is a global testing and accreditation scheme for the screening of harmful substances within consumer textiles and was developed in 1992 by a group of European textile institutes.

It is the dominant consumer focused global player in the textile Eco-labelling field with over 48,000 certificates having been issued worldwide since its inception. This equates to over 5,000 manufacturers and over 1 million licenced products.

Who uses it and why?

Many leading manufacturers and high street retailers choose to work to the Oeko-Tex Standard 100, regarding it as the industry benchmark in the field of human ecology, says Whitaker. A number of companies in the printwear industry also use it, since it provides a comprehensive and fastidiously scrutinised screening scheme, which sets stricter limits than current EC legislation on banned or restricted use substances used in textile manufacture. The scheme also includes substances considered to be harmful but which are yet to be banned by legislation such as certain pesticides.

Examples of other harmful substances screened include:

• Banned Carcinogenic Dyestuffs
• Allergenic Dyestuffs
• Extractable Heavy Metals
• Flame Retardants
• Formaldehyde
• Loose Dye/Colour
• Organo-tin Compounds
• Phthalates (plasticizers)
• Chlorinated Aromatic Compounds
• Volatile Organics

The label

Goods meeting the requirements of the standard are entitled to carry the Oeko-Tex label, which contains a unique code number specific to the product and certificate. Finished products carrying this label, which includes the wording, Confidence in Textiles - Tested for Harmful Substances, are becoming increasingly recognised and actively sought by customers, says Whitaker.

Accreditation

Although the tests are stringent, it's relatively simple to apply for Oeko-Tex certification. "The company completes an application form, which requests details of manufacture including chemicals used in processing. This form can be downloaded directly from the Oeko-Tex web site or through us," explains Whitaker.

"The returned, completed form is then assessed by us to determine the cost, samples required from the client and the timescale for the full procedure, including the issuing of an annual certificate.

"The client pays an annual certification and licence fee and submits samples for further checks as required. The Oeko-Tex Association also employs auditors who carry out random checks on production sites to ensure conformity to the Standard 100 is being maintained."

Products can be certified at all stages of the textile value added chain - including the producers of fibres, yarns and fabrics, textile finishers, garment manufacturers and suppliers of accessories. If products in the preliminary stages are accepted as certificated, the cost of testing at the next stage can be greatly reduced and unnecessary duplicate testing is avoided.

Classification

The tests for harmful substances according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100 are always based on the intended use of the textile, says Whitaker. "So, the more intensively a textile comes into contact with the skin (and the more sensitive the skin), the higher the human ecological requirements which must be met." There are four product classes relating to this: I, II, III and IV. Product class I relates to textiles and textile toys for babies and toddlers; II is for textiles where a large part of the surface area is in direct contact with the skin (e.g. underwear); III is for textiles that don't come into contact with the skin, or only slightly (e.g. coats); and IV relates to furnishing materials.

Why bother?

For many consumers in target markets such as Europe or Japan, evidence that textile products are harmless to health is becoming an increasingly important factor when purchasing products. The Oeko-Tex label is now taking on a status similar to that of a brand name and is actively requested by consumers. Although there is still work to be done in raising the awareness in the UK, many companies apply for certification because the major retailers have demanded it, says Whitaker.

"Interest is growing in the UK - other countries in the EU have had a head start. But people here are taking it more seriously now," he explains. "There have been a few product scares recently (e.g. the formaldehyde in children's wear scare) that get people thinking and raise the profile of things like the safety of clothing to human skin. Whitaker suggests there's not enough awareness in the UK generally about these things, but believes we are turning the corner and attitudes are changing. "Take organic food, for instance. When it started it was just a tiny shelf in the supermarket, but now it takes up a significant portion of shelf space and people regard it highly. I am sure there will be an element of that for textiles," he predicts, adding: "There are now a significant number of Oeko-Tex certificate holders in the UK, especially if those companies do business with the continent."

According to Whitaker, the Oeko-Tex Association is constantly evolving and looking for new tests and areas to move into. "Take testing for organic tin compounds, for instance: nobody had bothered looking into it until somebody got hold of some football shirts and tested them. There was a big who-ha about it and the Oeko Tex Association immediately added it to its parameters," he explains. "The institutes also hold regular technical meetings to agree on different tests to look into to ensure we keep ahead of the game. The phylates test was expanded to cover adults, not just babies, for example."

Made in Green

Shirley Technologies has also just signed up to a new "all-encompassing" label for textiles called Made in Green, from Spanish textile association AITEX, which looks at the ecological and social credentials of a product as well as the product itself. For a textile product to get and use the Made in Green label it must have the following:

• An Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certificate
• It must be made at production centres that have an environmental management system such as ISO 14001, Oeko-Tex 1000, EMAS or equivalent
• It must be made at production centres where an internationally accepted code of conduct is in place and externally audited, such as SA 8000 or equivalent

AITEX states that its objective is "to ensure that the globalisation logic of commercial activity brings with it the globalisation of the three aspects [product, environment, social criteria] to ensure that market competition does not lead to unfair competition for anyone, but rather is fair and reasonable in the light of the concepts that are regulated by law in the Western world."

Whitaker says: "Each element has to be in place. It's very relevant at the moment - it shows a company is being responsible to people, the environment and its customers. The idea comes from the Spanish textile research association, following a successful project they carried out for the Spanish industry."

The new label is currently being promoted in the UK and Europe and covers the supply chain right down to the dyes and threads used.

The Oeko-Tex Standard 1000

As well as the Standard 100, which relates to the product, Oeko-Tex also has a Standard 1000, which is a testing, audit and certification system for environmentally friendly production sites. The standard claims to provide an objective assessment of the effectiveness of a company's actions in minimising the environmental impact of their production site.

To receive certification under the Standard 1000, companies must:

• Provide evidence that 30% of total production is already certified under the Oeko-Tex Standard 100
• Comply with specified criteria to avoid or limit the use of harmful substances in production
• Observe stringent limit values relating to waste water and exhaust air
• Optimise their energy consumption
• Ensure low noise and dust pollution
• Introduce measures to ensure safety at work
• Not use child labour

The certificate is valid for three years and a yearly conformity audit is carried out on the site.

CONTACTS:

Shirley Technologies: http://www.shirleytech.co.uk/

Tel: 0161 869 1610

Oeko-Tex: http://www.oeko-tex.com/

Made in Green: www.aitex.es / http://www.textil.org/