Does STeP by OEKO-TEX accept third party certification？
2020-02-01
OEKO-TEX will provide industry benchmarks as part of STeP byOEKO-TEX to their customers. Depending on the requirements,these benchmarks will be provided in different modules, e.g. therecan be regional and global benchmarks. Using these benchmarks,the customer can compare his performance against the publishedbenchmarks of STeP by OEKO-TEX.
Also, the performance of certified production facilities within catego-ries, i.e. spinning mills, dye houses, cut and sew operations, etc.,will be recorded and used as benchmarks to enable comparison ofperformance within a segment. Therefore, there will be two oppor-tunities for benchmarking within STeP by OEKO-TEX：
Against the published criteria (metrics) as published in theStandard.
Against peer performance within a similar category.
STeP by OEKO-TEX Acceptance of third-party certifications ：
Within the STeP by OEKO-TEX system, various third party stand-ards and certifications are considered to meet the requirements ofthe standard. This allows for synergies with industry efforts and the avoidance of duplicate efforts and investments. The third party cer-tifications and systems accepted and endorsed within the STeP byOEKO-TEX criteria were vetted by our expert team and are con-sidered to be at least equivalent to the STeP by OEKO-TEX crite-ria.
The acceptance of third party certification means that OEKO-TEX can rely on those systems. OEKO-TEX have concluded that these third party auditors are qualified. The acceptance of certainthird party standards and certifications provides for highest valueby reducing audit time and costs. This adoption builds on previousinvestments by client organisations and improves the economy ofthe STeP by OEKO-TEX certification. Nevertheless, theOEKO-TEX auditors will perform spot checks in all cases andwhere uncertainties should arise they can default to the STeP by OEKO-TEX requirements to ensure clarification and security.
Having a third party certification does not allow an applicant toavoid answering all questions required by the STeP by OEKO-TEX assessment tool. In order to obtain a complete assessment, the ap-plicant must answer all questions. Answering questions also servesto normalise answers, allowing cross comparison of facilities (STePby OEKO-TEX third-party) and enabling the auditors to confirmthe existing certifications by examination.
Third party certifications are accepted in several parts of STeP by OEKO-TEX.
