OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 2026 Rules Now in Force: Five Documents Buyers Should Request
Every year around late spring the textile industry gets its scheduled rule refresh. This year's round isn't something to simply note and file. It needs checking at the next inspection or renewal.
According to the 2026 OEKO-TEX update published by the Ministry of Commerce of China, and matching 2026 change lists released by testing bodies including Hohenstein and TESTEX, the STANDARD 100 revision was announced on 3 March 2026 and took effect on 1 June 2026 after a three-month transition.
Tighter limits are only part of it. Two structural changes matter more in practice: which upstream certificates count for renewal, and whether wet processing needs its own certificate.
Limit values: bisphenols carry the sharpest change
The limit value catalogue changed in three ways: substances added, existing limits revised, and the monitoring list adjusted.
Bisphenols drew attention across every source. Under the new rules, STANDARD 100 drops Bisphenol B, Bisphenol F and Bisphenol AF to 200 mg/kg, down from a general 1000 mg/kg. Bisphenol S also moves to 200 mg/kg, with a separate transition under the LEATHER STANDARD. Fabric that passed on an older report may no longer clear the bar.
Additions to the catalogue include several SVHC substances. DBDPE, a brominated flame retardant, and Dechlorane Plus are each set at 1000 mg/kg across the four main systems. n-Hexane sits at 100 mg/kg under STANDARD 100 and related systems. Carbon disulphide, dichlofluanid, vinyl chloride and others also enter the catalogue, with dichlofluanid tiered at 0.5 mg/kg for PC I and 1 mg/kg for PC II to IV.
Tiering is worth a moment. PC I covers articles for babies and toddlers and carries the strictest values, often 0.5 mg/kg for newly added substances. PC II to IV, worn by adults, mostly sit at 1 mg/kg. Workwear generally lands in PC II to IV, but when buying for education, healthcare or food service, confirm the product class printed on the test report before reading anything else.
Some substances also left the monitoring list this year, which is a reminder that the catalogue updates in both directions. Comparing new goods against an old list is how gaps appear.
Change one: upstream certificates reach one tier further
This affects companies with longer supply chains and fabric drawn from several mills.
The update separates first-time certification from renewal. First-time certification may still accept upstream certificates from second-tier suppliers. Renewals demand stronger traceability: during the transition from 2026 to June 2027, second-tier certificates remain acceptable, but after that window only certificates issued by the direct, first-tier supplier count.
Put plainly for a buyer: a certificate issued last year, with fabric changing hands several times along the way, may no longer be recognised after June 2027. Nothing has to be done today, but at the next renewal it is worth asking how many tiers deep a supplier's certificate chain runs.
Change two: wet processes need their own certificate
Wet processing covers dyeing, washing, printing and finishing. The rules again differ between first-time certification and renewal.
A plant certifying for the first time may use uncertified wet processes, and may also work with suppliers whose wet processes are uncertified. For renewals, all certificates benefit from a transition running to June 2027, during which uncertified wet processes remain acceptable. After June 2027, every wet process in the supply chain must hold certification or renewal is refused.
For buyers, the practical reading is that a finished-goods certificate is not automatically a statement about the dyehouse behind it. Functional workwear with coatings, bonding or printing deserves a note on the wet-stage status already at the sampling stage.
Two more items worth noting
First, format. From 2026 the restricted substance list moves out of the STANDARD 100 standard document and is issued as a separate spreadsheet file. That makes it easier to compare against a company's own requirements, and it also means confirming the version your supplier is working from is current.
Second, testing procedure. The update defines what counts as a risk parameter: a substance under legal control in the European Union that also holds critical importance within STANDARD 100 or ORGANIC COTTON certification. From June 2026, when risk parameters are flagged during testing, the institute runs a second round of testing within the certificate validity period, replacing the earlier practice of asking the client to submit an improved sample with written explanation. Suppliers used to fixing and resubmitting will need to adjust.
Five documents to request now
Turning the above into action, ask suppliers for these five items before the next order round, and check each against date, version and issuing body.
- An updated STANDARD 100 test report. Confirm it is built on the 2026 limit values and that bisphenols, DBDPE and n-Hexane appear in the results.
- The valid certificate with its number. Verify status and expiry through OEKO-TEX channels, and check that the covered product class matches what you are buying.
- The first-tier upstream supplier certificate, with issuing tier stated, to stay ahead of the June 2027 renewal rule.
- A statement on wet-process certification status. For functional fabrics, specify whether dyeing, printing and bonding each fall within scope.
- The current restricted substance list, to cross-check against your own internal requirements rather than relying on the supplier's summary.
One caution: certification is necessary, not sufficient. Test data describes the batch that was submitted. Keep retain samples from production and re-test by batch.
Hengtong checks incoming fabric against test reports batch by batch across business suits, workwear, uniforms, school uniforms, medical wear and hotel uniforms, and can supply the corresponding fabric documentation. Company qualifications and production lines are listed on the about us page, and samples of recent test reports are available through the contact page; delivery records by sector are kept in the case studies section.
A note for the calendar
Under the schedule that starts in 2026, annual updates for STANDARD 100, LEATHER STANDARD, ORGANIC COTTON and ECO PASSPORT follow a fixed rhythm: published openly on 3 March, effective 1 June. STeP, MADE IN GREEN and RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS move to a two-year cycle, so no new standard update appears for them in 2026; the next one lands in 2027.
Putting that rhythm into your purchasing calendar saves more effort than chasing suppliers ad hoc each time. The rules change once a year, but the checking habit only has to be scheduled once a year too.
