AIAB - tessuto biologico

AIAB – tessuto biologico (AIAB - bio-fibre)

Website:

www.aiab.it/nuovosito/campo/marchi/tessuto/index.html and www.icea.info  

Relevance:

Voluntary label at national level

Target:

• Environmental target: avoid hazardous substances in fibres.
• Product group: textile products.

Product/service group:

The label covers all textile products and pre-products made with natural fibres.

Awarding Institution & criteria:

Awarding institution is AIAB (Associazione Italiana per l’Agricoltura Biologica – Italian Association for Biologic Agricolture) and Centrocot (Centro Tessile Cotoniero e Abbigliamento – Centre for Cotton).

AIAB standard criteria to award the certification are:

• raw materials must be certified natural fibres from bio-agriculture without OGM;
• raw materials other than natural fibres must be harmless for the environment and human health;
• transformation techniques should reduce as much as possible the impact on the environment;
• chemical and/or hazardous products must be avoided in transformation processes (especially chlorine);
• colourings must be of vegetable origin and cannot contain heavy metals or carcinogenic substances.

Last upgrading of criteria in May 2000.

The certification body is ICEA (Istituto per la Certificazione Etica e Ambientale – Institute for the Ethical and Environmental Certification), one of the top certification bodies in Italy and in Europe, certifying more than 11.000 firms with strong ethical, environmental and social values.

Control mechanisms:

The certification is valid for five years from issuing date. The control body is ICEA.

Charges:

Not available

Relevance on the market:

Launched in 1998, at present (January 2006) only 10 firms have obtained the label.