Green Button

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Location： Home> Our Expertise> Sustainability > Green Button

We test companies and products according to the Green Button criteria.

As a certification body approved by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Hohenstein is authorized to test companies and products for compliance with the criteria for awarding the Green Button textile seal.

The Green Button is a state seal for sustainably produced textiles. It sets binding requirements to protect people and the environment in the production process of textiles. What is special about the Green Button is that, in addition to the product, the company as a whole is always inspected.

Companies wishing to certify their products with the Green Button must comply with 46 demanding social and environmental criteria - including 20 corporate criteria and 26 social and environmental product criteria.

The state sets the criteria and conditions for the Green Button. Independent testing bodies such as Hohenstein, which are approved and trained by the BMZ, monitor compliance with the criteria.

Green Button 2.0 & OEKO-TEX®

With the 2.0 edition, the state Green Button seal tightens its requirements. These will apply bindingly to all certifications from August 2023:

The criteria for corporate due diligence have been made stricter and expanded. Companies must, for example, push for the payment of living wages and extend the risk analysis to the entire supply chain.

The product- and production-related requirements were expanded to include the area of sustainable raw material extraction. In future, labelled products may only consist of approved fibres and materials.

OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN

MADE IN GREEN is recognised within the framework of the Green Button 2.0 as proof of sustainable products and production processes. In detail, this applies to the following requirement levels:

Making-up of ready-made goods ✔

Wet processes ✔

Approved fibres / materials (virgin polyester, Proof of organic cotton, Proof of recycled content) ✔

OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100

The Green Button 2.0 now recognises STANDARD 100 as proof of the use of approved fibres and materials (virgin polyester, Proof of organic cotton, Proof of recycled content).

Green Button & Hohenstein - benefit twice!

Company audit

Hohenstein has many years of global expertise in auditing companies along the entire textile chain as well as product testing in accordance with international certifications, labels and initiatives for sustainability. As an approved certification body, we verify compliance with the Green Button corporate criteria.

Product verification

Only products that are entitled to bear a recognised seal may be certified for the Green Button. In the 2.0 edition of the Green Button, two OEKO-TEX® product labels are recognised as credible reference seals. As an OEKO-TEX® founding member, Hohenstein issues both labels:

OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN(for the areas of fibre and material use, wet processes, ready-made garments/products)

OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100(for the area of fibre and material use)

For which products is Green Button issued?

The label can be awarded to all textile products, excluding leather goods, toys and fabrics:

Cloths： Women's wear, men's wear, children's wear, day and evening wear, sportswear and functional wear, outdoor textiles, stockings and socks.

Home texteile： Bedding, futons, towels, tablecloths and kitchen textiles, curtains, upholstery and furniture upholstery fabrics, carpets and more.

Textile accessories： Headwear, scarves, shawls, gloves, bags, backpacks, etc.

technical textiles： Personal protective equipment and workwear, medical and hygiene products, automotive interiors, geo-agricultural and environmental textiles, textile building materials and insulating textiles.

How do you as a company get the Green Button?

There is a four-stage procedure for Green Button certification. Participation in the subsequent stage requires successful completion of the previous stage.

1.Information and application | Awarding body

Your company submits an application to the awarding office. The awarding office provides you with information documents and answers your questions about the certification process. Your company then submits an application for certification. This is checked by the awarding office for eligibility to apply.

2.Consultation | Offices

After your application has been positively reviewed, a non-binding and confidential consultation meeting is held by the Green Button office. This serves to prepare the audit by an independent certification body. The focus of the discussion is on the company-related requirements and the product-related social and environmental criteria. As a basis for the discussion, your company must complete and submit a self-assessment in advance.

3.Certification audit | Certification body (Hohenstein)

Following the consultation, your company makes an appointment for an audit with Hohenstein, the certification body approved for the Green Button. You conclude a contract with Hohenstein to carry out the audit. Our experts check the fulfillment of all company-related requirements as well as the fulfillment of the product criteria during an audit at your company. If the audit is successful, we issue a certificate for you.

4.Licensing | Awarding body

After receiving the certification certificate, your company concludes a licensing agreement with the awarding body. During the term of the license agreement (3 years), it entitles your company to label the audited products with the Green Button. Your company can find details on labeling and advertising in the Green Button Logo Manual.

Please note:

Within the Open House procedure for certification bodies, the Green Button office will no longer assign interested companies to certification bodies as of 01.03.2021.

As a company, you must independently select a certification body such as Hohenstein from this date and contact us directly.

For this purpose, the Green Button office will publish the contact details of the approved certification bodies such as Hohenstein in good time on its award portal.

Under what conditions is the Green Button awarded?

To receive the Green Button, companies must comply with a total of 46 demanding social and environmental criteria. The special thing about this is that the entire company is audited. Individual showcase products alone are not enough.

PRODUCT CRITERIA

For a T-shirt or bed linen to receive the Green Button, 26 social and environmental criteria must be met - the "product criteria." To this end, the Green Button builds on recognized credible seals - e.g. OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN.

COMPANY CRITERIA

In addition to the individual products, the company as a whole is also tested. It must demonstrate its human rights, social and environmental responsibility based on a further 20 criteria.

GREEN BUTTON & OEKO-TEX®

The German government recommends MADE IN GREEN as a reference label in its guide for public procurement of outerwear, linen, bedding and bed linen.

Learn More

Q & A

Unfold

What criteria does the Green Button require for products?

Textile articles are awarded the Green Button if they comply with 26 social and ecological criteria. In doing so, the Green Button builds on seals that are already recognized. With OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN as one of the recognized reference seals, companies can demonstrate compliance with the social and environmental requirements for the Green Button.

In the introductory phase, the criteria for products initially apply to the production stages "cutting and sewing" (manufacturing of ready-made goods) and "bleaching and dyeing" (wet processes). However, the aim of the Green Button is the consistent further development of the required criteria with the help of an independent advisory board as well as the extension of the requirements to all production stages of the textile chain. Among other things, living wages are targeted as a criterion.

Examples of ecological product criteria:

Ban on hazardous chemicals

Biodegradability of chemicals used

Limit values for waste water

Less air pollution and CO2 emissions

Use of natural fibers tested for harmful substances

More sustainable sourcing of man-made fibers

Examples of social product criteria:

Prohibition of forced and child labor

Prohibition of harassment and discrimination in the workplace

Payment of minimum wages

Regulated working hours and paid overtime

Right to freedom of association and collective bargaining

Ensuring occupational health and safety
What criteria does the Green Button require of companies?

To be awarded the Green Button, companies must credibly demonstrate their social, human rights and environmental responsibility and reputable business practices based on 20 criteria.

The evaluation of the companies is based on five core areas:

Alignment of company policy on human rights and environmental protection

Analysis of risks and impacts within the supply chain

Implementation of effective measures

Transparent reporting to the public

Consideration of complaints
Who is behind the Green Button?

The seal holder is the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The seal owner sets the criteria and conditions for the Green Button. An office is set up at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Independent certification bodies such as Hohenstein monitor compliance with the criteria. If certification is successful, the Green Button seal is awarded on behalf of the BMZ.
Do companies incur costs when applying for the Green Button?

During the introductory phase, the seal holder (i.e. BMZ) assumes the costs. These include:

Consulting services by the office

Initial certification

Licensing costs

There is no legal entitlement to admission to the free company audit during the introductory phase. The seal holder does not bear the costs for the following procedures:

Product re-registrations (costs arising from a certificate supplement and, if applicable, auditing of new suppliers).

Surveillance audits from 30.06.2021, which take place after 12 months, and re-certifications, which take place after three years

Companies must bear the costs for these expenses themselves.
Which companies can apply for the Green Button?

The Green Button is aimed at all companies that manufacture and / or distribute textile goods. This includes both manufacturers of such goods, as well as trading companies that sell third-party products as their own brands.

However, it does not cover companies that distribute third-party products without themselves acting as product managers.
Are license fees charged for the Green Button?

No, no license fees are charged.
How is compliance with the required criteria checked?

To ensure an appropriate assessment of whether the 46 company and product criteria are met, we as the certification body conduct an audit on site at your company.
How often is compliance with the criteria audited?

After the initial audit, we, as the appointed certification body, conduct a renewed surveillance audit at your company every year during the three-year term of the certificate. After three years, a new audit is carried out as part of the re-certification process, and so on.