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	$OEKO-TEX Standard 100 logo$ OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Global · Tier 3 Specialty	OTC OEKO-TEX Organic Cotton Global · Tier 2 Trusted	NATRUE European Union · Tier 2 Trusted	Bio Suisse 'Knospe' (Bud) Switzerland · Tier 2 Trusted
What it means	Tests finished textiles for harmful substances. Important: OEKO-TEX 100 is NOT an organic certification — it certifies that the finished item is free of certain chemicals, regardless of how the fibre was grown.	Launched April 2023 by the OEKO-TEX Association. A separate certificate from Standard 100 that combines the Standard 100 chemical-residue test with verified organic-cotton supply chain — addressing the long-standing confusion that Standard 100 alone is NOT an organic mark.	An EU-based natural-and-organic cosmetics certification. Three grades: Natural, Natural with Organic portion, and Organic.	The Swiss organic farmers' federation mark. The Knospe (Bud) is the dominant organic mark in Swiss supermarkets and operates to standards stricter than the Swiss federal organic ordinance.
Scope	Textiles	Textiles	Cosmetics	Food
Established	1992	2023	2007	1981
Inspection	Annual on-site + lab testing of finished products	Annual on-site by OEKO-TEX-accredited institute (Hohenstein et al.)	Annual third-party audit	Annual on-site, bio.inspecta accredited
Residue testing	Required (this is the entire point)	Required (Standard 100 panel + GMO/pesticide screening)	Risk-based	Required
Guarantees	Finished textile tested against the OEKO-TEX harmful-substance limit list. Limits on heavy metals, formaldehyde, pesticide residue, banned amines, allergenic dyes.	Two grades: 'Organic Cotton' (100% certified-organic cotton) and 'Organic Cotton Blended' (≥70% certified-organic cotton). Full Standard 100 chemical residue test on the finished product. Additional GMO test + pesticide residue test specific to organic farming. Verified chain of custody from farm to finished product. Annual re-certification with independent OEKO-TEX institute audits.	Restricted ingredient list (no synthetic fragrances, no silicones, no PEGs). Tiered organic content: Natural with Organic portion ≥70% certified organic; Organic ≥95%. Annual third-party verification.	Whole-farm conversion. Lower nitrogen inputs than the Swiss federal organic baseline. Strong animal welfare requirements. Annual on-site inspection.
Does NOT	Does NOT mean organic. Does NOT cover farming, dyeing chemistry beyond the limit list, or social/labour standards. A 100% conventional cotton t-shirt can be OEKO-TEX 100 certified.	Doesn't certify the social/labour conditions across the supply chain in the way GOTS does (use OEKO-TEX STeP for that, or pair with GOTS). Cotton-only — doesn't apply to other organic fibres (wool, hemp, linen).	Mark is trademark-protected.	Switzerland is outside the EU — the Knospe is recognised by the EU under the Switzerland-EU equivalence agreement, but not by USDA without further certification.

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