OEKO-TEX® RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS Certification

1. Review the standard requirements: Download and study the OEKO-TEX® RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS standard documentation from the OEKO-TEX® website to understand the criteria covering human rights, labor standards, and environmental governance.

1. Conduct a gap analysis: Assess your company's current management systems, policies, and supply chain practices against the standard's requirements to identify areas needing improvement before applying.

1. Develop or strengthen required policies: Implement or update policies and management systems covering human rights due diligence, fair labor practices, environmental impact, and supply chain monitoring — ensuring documentation is thorough and audit-ready.

1. Select an accredited OEKO-TEX® member institute: Contact an accredited OEKO-TEX® member institute (such as Hohenstein, TESTEX, Centrocot, or FILK) in your region to initiate the certification process and receive a cost quote.

1. Submit your application and documentation: Complete the formal application with the chosen institute and submit all required documentation, including policy documents, internal audit records, supplier engagement records, and risk assessment processes.

1. Undergo the third-party audit: An auditor from the accredited institute will conduct an on-site or remote audit, reviewing documentation, interviewing staff, and verifying supply chain monitoring practices against the standard's criteria.

1. Address corrective actions (if required): If the audit identifies non-conformities, implement the required corrective actions within the specified timeframe and provide evidence of remediation to the auditor.

1. Receive certification and use the label: Upon successful completion, receive your OEKO-TEX® RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS certificate and access the label for use in marketing materials, supplier communications, and stakeholder reporting. Plan for annual renewal audits to maintain certification.

OEKO-TEX® RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS evaluates companies across three core pillars: Social Responsibility, Environmental Governance, and Business Ethics & Governance. The assessment is structured around a company's management systems and processes rather than product-level attributes.

Social Responsibility covers human rights due diligence, fair labor practices, prohibition of forced and child labor, freedom of association, non-discrimination, and occupational health and safety. Companies must demonstrate active monitoring of these standards throughout their supply chain, not just within their own operations.

Environmental Governance examines the company's approach to environmental risk management, including policies on waste reduction, resource conservation, chemical management, and carbon footprint reduction. Companies must show systematic processes for identifying and mitigating environmental impacts across their supply chain.

Business Ethics & Governance assesses anti-corruption policies, responsible procurement practices, transparency mechanisms, and stakeholder engagement. This includes supplier codes of conduct, grievance mechanisms for workers, and systems for tracking and reporting on sustainability performance.

The audit also evaluates the robustness of the company's management systems — including risk assessment methodologies, supplier auditing programs, corrective action processes, and continuous improvement frameworks. Alignment with international frameworks such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, and the ILO Core Conventions is a key reference point throughout the assessment.

OEKO-TEX® RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS is a relatively new entrant in the supply chain due diligence certification space, launched to address the growing regulatory and commercial pressure on textile and leather companies — particularly in Europe. The EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and Germany's Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) have created urgent demand for credible, third-party-verified frameworks that companies can use to demonstrate compliance. OEKO-TEX® is leveraging its strong brand recognition in the textile sector (built primarily through STANDARD 100 and MADE IN GREEN) to offer a complementary organizational-level credential.

The certification competes in a crowded space that includes amfori BSCI, SA8000, and the Higg Index suite. However, OEKO-TEX® RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS differentiates itself through the OEKO-TEX® brand's existing trust among European retailers and consumers, its specific focus on the textile and leather industry (rather than being a cross-sector standard), and its integration potential with other OEKO-TEX® certifications. Companies already certified under OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 or STeP by OEKO-TEX® may find RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS a natural complement to their existing certification portfolio.

Adoption is still in early stages given the program's recent launch, but demand is expected to grow significantly as EU due diligence regulations come into force between 2025 and 2027. The certification is most relevant for European-facing brands and their global supply chain partners. Asian manufacturers supplying European brands are increasingly being asked to demonstrate responsible business credentials, making this certification strategically valuable for export-oriented factories in countries like Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, and China.

OEKO-TEX® RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS was developed by the OEKO-TEX® Association — a Swiss-based nonprofit consortium of textile research and testing institutes — in response to the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape around corporate sustainability due diligence. The certification was launched in 2023 as part of OEKO-TEX®'s broader effort to expand its portfolio beyond product-level certifications (such as STANDARD 100 and MADE IN GREEN) into organizational-level responsible business conduct frameworks.

The program was designed to align with major international frameworks including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains, and ILO Core Conventions. Its development was directly influenced by the passage of Germany's Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, or LkSG) in 2021 and the anticipated EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). OEKO-TEX® positioned RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS as a practical management tool that helps textile and leather companies build the systems needed to meet these emerging legal obligations while communicating their commitment to responsible practices to commercial partners and consumers.