CAS number screening
Required. Every ingredient is checked against OEKO-TEX's restricted substance lists.
What Is OEKO‑TEX ECO PASSPORT?
OEKO-TEX ECO PASSPORT is a certification for chemical products. It covers the dyes, pigments, finishes and other chemicals used to make textiles and leather, screening every ingredient against OEKO-TEX's restricted substance lists and testing samples in a lab. Clothing made with these chemicals isn't certified by it and needs its own test, like STANDARD 100.
What OEKO-TEX Eco Passport checks
- Every ingredient, screened by CAS number against restricted substance lists that cover STANDARD 100, LEATHER STANDARD, ORGANIC COTTON and STeP
- Lab tests on samples from every production site, with limits set around STANDARD 100's requirements for finished textiles
- No intentional use of any restricted substance, even below the limit
- Ready biodegradability for surfactants, water softeners and chelating agents
- A self-assessment of the chemical maker's site, including environmental management, wastewater and waste permits, and a policy on the ILO's eight core conventions
- An optional on-site visit, which OEKO-TEX calls the highest level of certification
What OEKO-TEX Eco Passport doesn’t cover
- Clothing and finished textiles. The label goes on the chemical's packaging and marketing, and a garment can't carry an ECO PASSPORT claim.
- A guarantee for the garment. OEKO-TEX says items treated with ECO PASSPORT chemicals won't always meet STANDARD 100.
- Flame retardants, biocides, pesticides and other active chemical products, except ones OEKO-TEX lists as accepted
- Fragrances and microencapsulated, cosmetic or medicinal chemical products
- Quality or performance. OEKO-TEX says plainly it isn't a quality label.
The four verification stages
Edition 03.2026 of the standard sets four stages, and the first three are required. ZDHC recognizes the result at three levels: level 1 for the three required stages, level 2 with an on-site visit, and level 3 with an on-site visit plus a chemical hazard assessment.
Analytical verification
Required. An accredited lab tests samples against ECO PASSPORT's limits.
Self-assessment
Required. The chemical maker reports on health, safety and environmental practices at its site.
On-site visit
Optional. An inspector checks the site in person before the certificate is issued.
How to check a OEKO-TEX Eco Passport certificate
You won't find an ECO PASSPORT label on clothing. It goes on the chemical product's packaging, catalogs and ads. If a brand says its dyes or finishes are ECO PASSPORT certified, the certificate number is what you check.
- Get the certificate number. Every ECO PASSPORT label has to show the testing institute and the certificate number, or a QR code that leads to them.
- Enter it in Label Check. OEKO-TEX's free Label Check takes the certificate number or the QR code. The OEKO-TEX Buying Guide also lists certified products and companies.
- Check the garment on its own. A valid certificate covers the chemical. For the finished item, look for its own STANDARD 100 or MADE IN GREEN label.
OEKO-TEX Eco Passport questions
Is ECO PASSPORT for clothing?
No. It certifies the chemicals, dyes and auxiliaries used to make textiles and leather. Its label belongs on that chemical's packaging and marketing.
If a brand's dyes are ECO PASSPORT certified, is the garment tested?
Not by ECO PASSPORT. The standard says it doesn't guarantee that treated items meet STANDARD 100. The garment needs its own STANDARD 100 test for that.
Does ECO PASSPORT ban PFAS?
It sets PFAS limits and bans intentional use of any restricted substance. A certificate can allow up to two small limit exceedances, but never for PFCAs, PFSAs, PFOA or related substances. Since January 2026, a hydrolysis test method is used to detect PFAS.
How is ECO PASSPORT different from STANDARD 100 and STeP?
ECO PASSPORT certifies chemical products. STANDARD 100 tests finished textiles. STeP certifies production facilities. ECO PASSPORT counts as a pre-certification for STANDARD 100 and STeP, which can cut testing for the mills that use it.
How often is ECO PASSPORT checked?
Every year. A certificate lasts up to 12 months and has to be renewed with new screening and lab testing. It ends right away if the product's formula or branding changes without approval.