Grüner Knopf | Green Button - government-run textile label
The Green Button is a government-run label for sustainable textiles. What makes this textile certification label different is that, in addition to assessing individual products, it is the first label that systematically checks whether the company meets its due diligence obligations. Since September 2019, the certificate sets binding requirements for the products and the entire company. To obtain the certification, companies have to meet high requirements regarding their production and working conditions. They have to comply with 46 stringent social and environmental criteria. Independent auditors conduct the necessary audits. The Germany Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development defines and owns the certification scheme. The Green Button is in its introductory phase and covers the key production stages of "cutting and sewing" and "bleaching and dyeing". The Green Button will cover further production stages in the future like fibre production. In the case of synthetic fibres, the Green Button must itself do pioneering work, because the standards for these fibres have yet to be developed.
The Green Button provides orientation when buying socially and environmentally manufactured textiles. Thus, it aims at raising awareness of customers and companies on the topic of sustainable textile production and supply chains. With the assistance of an independent expert advisory council, the Green Button is continuously being developed further to be even more comprehensive in the future.
