Tokyo, Japan, 19th February, 2020 – MIDORI ANZEN Co., Ltd., and Toray Industries, Inc., today announced that their jointly developed work uniforms have become the first in Japan to be qualified a MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX®, a traceable product label that guarantees that a textile product has been manufactured using sustainable processes under environmentally friendly and socially responsible working conditions. OEKO-TEX® certification is a key benchmark for safety and customer confidence in more than 100 countries. MIDORI ANZEN will launch the new uniforms in January this year.
In Japan, the Nissenken Quality Evaluation Center (see note below) conducts OEKO-TEX® certification tests. These which encompass everything from the chemicals used in textile products to wastewater and gas emissions in manufacturing processes and working environments.
To qualify for MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX®, it is necessary in advance to secure two other certifications. One is STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, which covers more than 300 hazardous chemicals. The other is STeP by OEKO-TEX®. This focuses on the environmental impacts of manufacturing sites, working environments, and other aspects of safety, health, and social responsibility.
Products carrying the MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX® label thus employ safe materials, having passed the world's most strict analytical tests for hazardous substances, and are made at facilities that are sustainable in terms of the environment and working conditions. Such products also contribute to attaining several of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
The materials producer covered by this MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX® label is Penfabric Sdn. Berhad, a Toray Group unit in Malaysia that has received both STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® and STeP by OEKO-TEX®. The uniform Sewing Factory with STeP by OEKO-TEX® Certification is Midori Apparel Vietnam Hoa Binh Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of MIDORI ANZEN.
In the years ahead, MIDORI ANZEN and Toray will together broaden the lineup of uniforms carrying the MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX® label.
