#Sustainability

2019-12-19

TenCate protective fabrics fire service offering now certified to standard 100 by OEKO-TEX®

TenCate Protective Fabrics remains committed to protecting and empowering its end-users in every aspect of life. That's why we're proud to announce that the TenCate Protective Fabrics family of products for the Fire Service market is now OEKO-TEX® certified.

Certification by OEKO-TEX® to the STANDARD 100 has been completed for TenCate Protective Fabrics' outer shells and thermal liners.

In addition, TenCate Protective Fabrics' revolutionary Tecasafe® Plus, available in both woven and knit fabrics, are OEKO-TEX® certified. Tecasafe® Plus is one of TenCate's best-performing fabrics for FR Stationwear and serves thousands of wearers in the Fire Service.

As of November 2019, TenCate Protective Fabrics has been using products and manufacturing processes that ensure these fabrics meet the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100.

Since 1992, OEKO-TEX® has made it their mission to test textiles for harmful substances in order to offer consumers reliable assistance in the purchase of textile materials of all types. OEKO-TEX® evaluates and tests products from both private and public companies against a wide collection of the world's most rigorous safety standards. Textiles that meet those standards are given a special status for customer confidence and high product safety.

For more information about OEKO-TEX®, please visit https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/.

As the conversation around sustainability and the general health and well-being of individual wearers continues across the world, TenCate Protective Fabrics offers the trusted confidence of all-around protection, quality, and material performance that end-users everywhere have known for decades. As this tradition continues, we remain committed to our new brand promise and the true nature of the life-saving products we design: Made For Life.

OEKO-TEX® chooses TextileGenesis to advance digital traceability for organic cotton

OEKO-TEX® today announced a full collaboration with TextileGenesis, a Lectra company, to digitally trace and authenticate organic cotton, strengthening fraud prevention across the supply chain. This announcement follows a successful pilot and brings together OEKO-TEX®’s certification expertise and closed testing system with TextileGenesis’ digital traceability platform to deliver a secure, end-to-end solution for managing certified organic cotton flows.

OEKO-TEX® - New regulations 2025

Fostering trust within the textile and leather industry remains the mission of OEKO-TEX®. Since trust relies on consistently high standards, the OEKO-TEX® Association has released the updated testing criteria, limit values and guidelines for its certifications, based on the latest scientific research and legal developments.

OEKO-TEX® Annual Report 2023/2024 mentions 50,000+ valid certifications

The international OEKO-TEX® association has continued to demonstrate positive business growth, highlighting the critical role of close collaboration and shared commitment in accelerating sustainable change. More than 35,000 textile and leather companies depend on the certificates and product labels issued by OEKO-TEX®’s independent testing institutes. OEKO-TEX® issued more than 50,000 certificates and labels between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024 – an increase of 22% over the previous financial year.

OEKO-TEX® New regulations 2024

Creating trust within the textile and leather industry and for its customers is the mission of OEKO-TEX®. Since trust is based on consistently high quality, the OEKO-TEX® Association is again publishing updates to the applicable test criteria, limit values and guidelines for its certifications. Based on new scientific findings and legal developments, the OEKO-TEX® Association has published the annual updates to its test criteria, limit values and guidelines.

Hohenstein publishes 2025 Sustainability Report

The testing and research service provider Hohenstein has published its latest sustainability report, outlining key progress and strategic initiatives. The report focuses on ambitious CO₂ reduction targets, the company’s new mission statement and the systematic expansion of sustainable services for customers worldwide.

Global Standard gGmbH launches second public consultation for GRTS Draft 2 for the textile industry (1–30 April 2026)

Global Standard gGmbH is pleased to announce the release of Draft 2 of the Global Responsible Textile Standard (GRTS) for its second public consultation. The consultation will be open from 1 April 2026 to 30 April 2026, inviting stakeholders across the textile and apparel value chain to provide input and contribute to the further development of this new Standard.

Techtextil 2026: KARL MAYER impresses as an innovative sector partner

KARL MAYER looks back with satisfaction on its participation in Techtextil 2026. From April 21 to 24, the international industry leader used the trade show in Frankfurt to meet with numerous key customers at its booth and, at the same time, establish many new contacts. Most visitors came from Germany, followed by major markets such as Poland, the United Kingdom, Turkey, France, and Portugal.

BTMA backs global growth while investing in future UK leaders

As one of a number of new initiatives launched this year, the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) is launching the UK-India Textile Machinery Coalition. The UK-India Free Trade Agreement, signed in July 2025, has implications that extend across sourcing, competitiveness and long-term trade dynamics, believes BTMA CEO Jason Kent.

China projected to increase cotton production, yields, and imports in 2026/27

World cotton production in the 2026/27 season is projected at 25.9 million tonnes, exceeding global consumption of 25.2 million tonnes, according to the May 2026 issue of Cotton This Month. That means both production and consumption are expected to remain close to current season levels, while global cotton trade is projected to decline by 2.7% to approximately 9.6-9.7 million tonnes.