Japan-based Seiko Epson Corp. recently became the first company in Japan to receive the Zurich-based International Oeko-Tex Association's Eco Passport certification for sustainable textile chemicals.

Oeko-Tex is considered the world's leading testing and certification system for verifying the safety of textile products, according to Epson.

The company says certification was obtained through the Nissenken Quality Evaluation Center, the only certification institute in Japan for Eco Passport. Certified products include the UltraChrome DS ink for the SC-F60, SC-F62, SC-F70, SC-F71, SC-F72, and SC-F92 series of SureColor dye-sublimation transfer printers, as well as for UltraChrome DG ink and auxiliary fabric preparation products for the SureColor SC-F2000 garment printer.

In Japan, the Eco Passport certification system was launched by Nissenken in June 2016. Following on the heels of the Oeko-Tex Standard 100, a worldwide safety certification system in which textile products are tested for harmful substances, Eco Passport is a new testing and certification mechanism that textile chemical manufacturers and suppliers can use to demonstrate that their colorants, auxiliaries, finishing assistants, and other textile chemicals can be used in safe and sustainable textile production. The Eco Passport initiative seeks to confirm compliance with restrictions enacted in April 2016 on the use of certain potentially harmful substances and to ensure the safety and sustainability of chemicals, colorants, and auxiliaries upstream in the textile industry supply chain.

Oeko-Tex certifications for textile products cover all stages of production, from raw materials to end products. There is also a certification for environmentally friendly production sites.