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Environmental Impact from Bed Linen in the Production Chain

1 Introduction

1.1 Background

The Danish Consumers Information Centre has carried out a survey of a number of bed linen products (quilt covers and pillow cases) on the Danish market. A total of 19 different products made of 100% woven cotton fabric were purchased for testing during springtime 2003. The aim of the survey was to test the fitness for use of the products, and at the same time to look at environmental and health aspects of the products and their maintenance. The results have been published in the Danish Consumers Information Centre's magazine "tænk+test" (1).

The Danish Environmental Protection Agency (DEPA) was supporting this investigation, and parallel to this DEPA initiated the present survey.

1.2 Purpose

The purpose of the present survey was to investigate and evaluate whether the bed linen products in question would meet the criteria of the EU eco-label to textile products - the Flower, especially regarding the criteria on processes, chemicals and waste water.

1.3 Procedure

The survey was carried out in the following way: The Danish suppliers of the 19 selected products were contacted and asked, if they would inform where the products had been produced and whether they would allow the project executor to contact and visit the individual production facilities. In case of a positive answer the factories were visited, the individual production sites were inspected, and documentation was asked for in order to be able to verify, whether the individual criteria were met or not.

Documentation often consisted of recipes with names of chemicals used in the individual sub-processes in pre-treatment, dyeing, printing and finishing together with the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), issued by the chemical suppliers. Other documentation could be general information from chemical suppliers, certificates and reports from third party bodies like Oeko-Tex institutes, SKAL- or IVN-certification bodies.

The findings were reported to the factories for comments. Finally the overall results were compiled in the present report.

15 out of 19 suppliers accepted to participate in the survey. The four remaining suppliers either did not want to reveal their sub-contractors, or the co-operation regarding the specific product had stopped, or they simply did not want to spend time and effort on the survey.

In order not to reveal any production secrets, no names of textile producing companies - apart from the immediate supplier - are published in the report. All brand names of applied machinery, chemicals and dyestuffs are only published in anonymous form.

The criteria document for the EU eco-label to textile products has recently been revised. The new criteria document became valid from 1 June 2002 (Commission Decision of 15 May 2003) (2). The validity period of the former criteria document (3) was, however, prolonged until 31 August 2003 (Commission Decision of 27 November 2001) (4). This means that producers of products, which had already applied for the eco-label before 1 June 2002, could be awarded the eco-label under the old terms. Thus the products purchased during springtime 2003 could both be assessed towards the old and the revised criteria document, and this is reflected in the report.

Only the criteria, which are relevant to bed linen products made of 100% cotton, are assessed during the survey. The criteria numbers in the following chapter refer to the revised criteria document. The difference in numbers between the two documents can be seen in the table below.

Table 1.1 Numbers used in the two latest criteria documents

1.4 General observations

From the survey a number of general observations can be collected. They will be presented under the three headings cotton, chemicals and waste water.

1.4.1 Cotton (Criterion 2)

Only few companies have documentation regarding the consumption of pesticides during cotton growing. The exceptions are one Flower-labelled product and one product made of certified organic cotton.

Further three products are made of yarn, which is certified according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100. Even though the criteria regarding pesticides in the two systems are not similar, it seems probable that a raw yarn product certified according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100 would also meet the EU eco-label criteria.

If the Oeko-Tex certificates and analysis reports only cover end products, one can not be sure that the products have been tested for pesticides prior to wet processing, and thus such reports will not be able to guarantee whether the cotton criterion is met.

For 5 out of 15 products documentation regarding pesticides or organic growing has been provided.

1.4.2 Chemicals

In connection with the production of 9 out of 15 products chemicals have been identified, which shall not be used according to the EU eco-label criteria document, either the old or the revised version.

Such chemicals are

• surface active agents based on APEO
• auxiliaries which are heavily biodegradable
• print paste containing VOCs
• finishing recipes containing R-labelled products, which are not allowed.

A general observation is that chemicals are not used in spinning of cotton yarn used for the products in question.

Almost none of the companies have any knowledge of the use of biocides at their subcontractors.

1.4.2.1 Auxiliaries etc. (criterion 14a and 14b (old), 14 and 15 (new))
In two cases APEO-based products have been identified, which are not allowed according to the revised criteria document. APEO-based products are degraded to substances, which are fish toxic.

In the old criteria document APEO-based products were only banned if they belong to the group "detergents, fabric softeners and complexing agents". In the revised document APEO-based products are not allowed in any form.

For a number of identified auxiliaries the biodegradability was too low. This was the case in connection with the production of 5 out of 15 products. In other cases not enough information was available to determine whether the criterion was met or not.

1.4.2.2 Bleaching agents (criterion 15 (old), 16 (new))
None of the visited production sites use chlorine-based bleaching agents any more. Previously sodium hypochlorite was widely used as bleaching agent; but today it seems to be completely substituted by the more harmless hydrogen peroxide, at least in case of the bed linen products assessed here. Chlorine-based bleaching agents should be avoided because they can form reactive organic halogen compounds (AOX), which are harmful to aquatic organisms.

It was a general observation that the companies visited had stopped using sodium hypochlorite throughout their whole production, not only for bed linen products.

1.4.2.3 Dyes and pigments (criterion 16,17,19,20,21 (old), 17,18,20,21,22 (new))
The criteria for dyes and pigments are partly dealing with impurities, partly dealing with the banning of specific substances. In no case banned dyes have been identified, neither carcinogenic, nor mutagenic, nor toxic to reproduction.

In no case dyes and pigments have been identified, which contain more than the allowed amount of heavy metals. On the other hand there is a general lack of documentation as to whether the concentration of heavy metals in dyes and pigments are below the fixed limits. In practical terms this documentation can only be given by the suppliers or producers of the dyes and pigments. Heavy metals should be phased out due to their environmental and health properties.

Normally it should be expected that suppliers, who are members of the Ecological and Toxicological Association of Dyes and Organic Pigments Manufacturers (ETAD), meet the requirements regarding impurities in dyes and pigments. ETAD has internal rules for their members regarding impurities, which means that the eco-label criteria are met. It is, however, not clearly documented in the MSDS seen during this survey.

1.4.2.4 Printing (criterion 24 (old), 25 (new))
Printing systems based on organic solvents do not seem to be used any more, at least not for the bed linen products assessed here. Only water based pigment printing has been identified.

There is a limit to the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) allowed in print paste; it can, however, be difficult to evaluate or calculate whether the criterion is met. VOCs have been identified in connection with production of 5 out of 15 bed linen products. VOCs have an impact upon the ozone layer and the greenhouse effect.

Plastisol-based printing is not used for the bed linen products in question. This kind of printing is used mainly for T-shirts, sweatshirts and other clothing products.

1.4.2.5 Formaldehyde (criterion 25 (old), 26 (new))
Many companies have no documentation regarding the release of formaldehyde from their products. This is the case in connection with production of 6 out of 15 products. Formaldehyde can cause allergy, and there is a limited evidence of a carcinogenic effect.

Formaldehyde may be released either from products, which have been pigment printed, products which have been crease or shrink resist finished, or it may originate from other finishing processes. Finally it may originate from chemical products used to improve the colour fastness to washing of certain textiles. Crease or shrink resist finishes are applied to counteract the tendency of cotton to wrinkle and shrink after washing.

By the latest revision of the criteria document this criterion was tightened. In the old criterion 75 ppm formaldehyde was allowed for products for adults. In the revised document only 30 ppm is allowed.

1.4.2.6 Finishing (criterion 27 (old), 28 (new), new criterion 30)
Flame retardant finishing is not used in any of the products in the survey.

The old criteria document from 1999 was still valid, when the bed linen products in the survey were purchased. These criteria expired in August 2003 and were replaced by the revised criteria of May 2002. In this revised criteria document the demands towards finishing chemicals have been made more rigorous. No use of finishes is allowed containing more than 0.1% of substances that are assigned a number of risk phrases, which mean that they are harmful to health, mutagenic or carcinogenic, or harmful to the aquatic environment. In connection with the production of 4 of the 15 bed linen products chemicals in finishing recipes have been identified, which are not allowed according to the revised criteria document:

• crease resist finishes containing formaldehyde, which is assigned R40 (limited evidence of carcinogenic effect)
• softening and crease resist finishes containing ethoxylated isooctylphenol, which is assigned R53 (may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment)
• anti-foaming agent, which is assigned R52/53 (harmful to aquatic organisms; may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment).

1.4.3 Waste water (criterion 26 (old), 27 (new))

In general many companies do not have sufficient documentation regarding their waste water conditions, which makes it impossible to calculate whether the criterion is met or not. According to the criterion waste water from wet processing sites shall, when discharged to surface waters after treatment, have a COD content of less than 25 g/kg textile. 8 out of 15 have such documentation.

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Version 1.0 November 2004, © Danish Environmental Protection Agency