In recent years, a lot of effort has been made by the industry to employ lables, this effort driven by an industry desire to be “transparent.” this effort driven by an industry desire to be “transparent.” Here is a list of the different labels in the textile world, let’s take a quick tour of the main actors of this change.
The Woolmark label
This is pure virgin wool, with a label owned by Australian Wool Innovation Ltd, and mainly concerning Australian wool which is the purest wool in existence, obtained from the shearing of healthy, living animals. The Woolmark Blend label(majority blends): contains 50 to 99% virgin wool. The Wool Blend label(minority blends): contains 30 to 40% virgin wool.
“Virgin wool” label
Virgin wool comes from young lambs, and is a particularly soft and high quality fiber. This label corresponds to a product to which a maximum of 7% other fibers have been added which drops to 0.3% for the “pure new wool” label.
“100% Wool” or “Pure Wool” labels
This refers to a lower quality wool recovered from the fleece of slaughtered animals or from recycled fabrics.
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
The benchmark in terms of organic textiles. Since 2008, this aims to systematize textile labels and standards. It is the most complete textile eco-label for cotton, wool, silk, and hemp. This label guarantees:
The biological origin of the animal and plant fibers used;
Respect for the work standards of the International Labor Organization;
The ban on the use of toxic products, carcinogens, heavy metals or GMO fibers.
GOTS certified products must contain:
75% to 90% fibers from organic farming
Maximum 10% synthetic or artificial fibers
The label STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®
It provides assurances to the consumer about textile quality.
Introduced in 1992 in Germany by the International Association for Research and Testing of Ecological Textiles, the OEKO-TEX label aims to guarantee the absence of toxic products such as:
Heavy metals,
Allergen or azoiec dyes (carcinogen
Phthalates and benzene
The ecological rules and criteria are very specific and are verified by an independent Swiss regulatory institution.
Other labels exist, and we will talk about them in a future article …
Our opinion:
Small issue,
On the one hand, the fashion industry is a huge commercial machine that needs to find legitimacy to maintain a positive image through the use of labels. However, the more a company communicates about its ethics and practices, the less it has to invest in its products. For example, an advertising campaign is expensive, costing upwards of half a million euros at least, and that money will then not be invested in raw materials or in clothing. Companies often have to make choices and end by favor form over substance!
The legal use of a label is expensive for a small business and therefore only relatively large businesses will be able to fund that usage.
For 30 years, we have strived to guarantee the quality of our textiles Most of our textiles and knits are certified, and we will try to be as specific about their origins and content as possible in the Eshop.
“Washi” is a kind of paper that has been made by craftsmen in Japan since the 7th century, after the Chinese introduced the techniques for making tissue paper. Buddhism, writing, printing and the general Chinese culture spread to Korea and Japan, where “washi” was developed.
Wool, quality labels
The different wool quality labels.
In recent years, a lot of effort has been made by the industry to employ lables, this effort driven by an industry desire to be “transparent.” this effort driven by an industry desire to be “transparent.” Here is a list of the different labels in the textile world, let’s take a quick tour of the main actors of this change.
The Woolmark label
This is pure virgin wool, with a label owned by Australian Wool Innovation Ltd, and mainly concerning Australian wool which is the purest wool in existence, obtained from the shearing of healthy, living animals.
The Woolmark Blend label(majority blends): contains 50 to 99% virgin wool.
The Wool Blend label(minority blends): contains 30 to 40% virgin wool.
“Virgin wool” label
Virgin wool comes from young lambs, and is a particularly soft and high quality fiber. This label corresponds to a product to which a maximum of 7% other fibers have been added which drops to 0.3% for the “pure new wool” label.
“100% Wool” or “Pure Wool” labels
This refers to a lower quality wool recovered from the fleece of slaughtered animals or from recycled fabrics.
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
The benchmark in terms of organic textiles. Since 2008, this aims to systematize textile labels and standards. It is the most complete textile eco-label for cotton, wool, silk, and hemp.
This label guarantees:
GOTS certified products must contain:
The label STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®
It provides assurances to the consumer about textile quality.
Introduced in 1992 in Germany by the International Association for Research and Testing of Ecological Textiles, the OEKO-TEX label aims to guarantee the absence of toxic products such as:
The ecological rules and criteria are very specific and are verified by an independent Swiss regulatory institution.
Other labels exist, and we will talk about them in a future article …
Our opinion:
Small issue,
On the one hand, the fashion industry is a huge commercial machine that needs to find legitimacy to maintain a positive image through the use of labels. However, the more a company communicates about its ethics and practices, the less it has to invest in its products. For example, an advertising campaign is expensive, costing upwards of half a million euros at least, and that money will then not be invested in raw materials or in clothing. Companies often have to make choices and end by favor form over substance!
The legal use of a label is expensive for a small business and therefore only relatively large businesses will be able to fund that usage.
For 30 years, we have strived to guarantee the quality of our textiles Most of our textiles and knits are certified, and we will try to be as specific about their origins and content as possible in the Eshop.
The Juliette Ozouf team.
Références for this article:
https://www.ademe.fr
https://www.woolmark.fr/
https://www.global-standard.org/fr/
https://www.oeko-tex.com/
http://www.chargeursluxurymaterials.com/fr/nativa
http://www.vedura.fr/
Related Posts
The “Washi” fabric
“Washi” is a kind of paper that has been made by craftsmen in Japan since the 7th century, after the Chinese introduced the techniques for making tissue paper. Buddhism, writing, printing and the general Chinese culture spread to Korea and Japan, where “washi” was developed.
Varieties of wool
Here is a brief discussion of some of the different varieties of wool although there are many more. Each wool has its own characteristics.
Caring for your woolen clothing:
Here are some wool care tips, but first a brief description of this magnificent material.
Why choose wool ?
Considered a luxury fiber, wool is a material of animal origin made up of keratin fibers.
Here are some characteristics of this natural wonder.