Toronto, May 5th, 2021 – COBMEX® took a leadership role in bringing STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® to the North American Uniform industry. With two years of positive feedback from customers and the overwhelming success of the COBMEX® certified STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® Contemporary Collection, COBMEX® will now extend the program broadly throughout its uniform sweater collection.
Effective this spring, the collection of COBMEX® uniform sweaters produced in two of its production lines will be certified to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®. This expanded commitment to the health and safety of its global customers is confirmation of COBMEX®’s internal quality control processes, and its focus on prioritizing the role that Corporate Sustainable Responsibility plays in the company’s fabric.
“The COBMEX® customer and end user are conscientious consumers who appreciate our complete transparency,” says Jon Edberg, Executive Vice-President, COBMEX® Apparel. “Listening to our conscience and to our customers is what drives our decisions. Since we are entrenched in the textile supply chain, we have a responsibility to provide a safe and sustainable garment to all of our international partners. STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certification confirms that our sweaters are safe to wear and free from any harmful substances. For that reason, we are advancing toward our goal of certifying the complete COBMEX® sweater collection to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®.”
“When you see a STANDARD 100 label on the garment, you can be certain that not only the fabric, but also every component of the garment from the thread to the buttons and other accessories has been rigorously tested for harmful substances,” says Stella Sun Fei Ke, TESTEX branch manager, the official representative of OEKO-TEX® in Canada. “We are pleased to continue our relationship with COBMEX® because as a leader in their industry, they will have a positive influence on other companies who want to provide safe and sustainable textiles.”
“Our whole team is proud to be in front of the demand and provide our international customers with sweaters that are certified free from any harmful substances,” explains Phil Newman, COBMEX® President. “Our customers are well-informed and have come to expect the high levels of attention that we invest into style, comfort, performance, and safety.”
The COBMEX® Contemporary Collection was the first to be certified to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® in 2019. Bringing STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® into the North American uniform landscape confirms COBMEX®’s innovative approach to manufacturing a quality uniform sweater. COBMEX®’s investment into creating Durapil™ and Durapil Ultra™ which eventually established the industry standard for high performance, comfortable and low pilling yarns, redefined the expectations of what a quality sweater should be and illustrates how COBMEX® puts the integrity of its product at the forefront of every manufacturing decision it makes. Adding the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certification deeper into the COBMEX® product catalogue is consistent with their values and one more example of how accountability is measured at every stage of product development.
A uniform provides a sense of teamwork within an organization. Peace of mind, and well-being is a priority for every employee. A STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified COBMEX® sweater is manufactured for safety and sustainability and designed for style and comfort. Ensuring this level of safety throughout the collection provides customers with confidence and peace of mind that they have selected the right sweater for their employees.
OEKO-TEX® is recognized internationally as the benchmark for safety certification of textiles and COBMEX® sweaters are the uniform of choice worn by global brands. This international presence gives COBMEX® a responsibility to ensure that the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certification will be dominant throughout its current collection and new styles to come.
About OEKO-TEX
The International Association for Research and Testing in the Field of Textile and Leather Ecology (OEKO-TEX®) with headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland was founded in 1992. The OEKO-TEX® association consists of 18 independent textile testing and research institutes in Europe and Japan, with their contact offices all over the world.
OEKO-TEX® labels and certificates (STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, LEATHER STANDARD by OEKO-TEX®, MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX®, STEP by OEKO-TEX®, ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX®, DETOX TO ZERO by OEKO-TEX®) confirm the human-ecological safety of textile products and leather articles from all stages of production (raw materials and fibers, yarns, fabrics, accessories, ready-to-use end products) along the textile supplier chain, and the socially and environmentally conditions in production facilities.
TESTEX is a globally operating, independent Swiss testing and certification organization with focus on textile and leather testing since 1846. In addition to its headquarter in Zurich, TESTEX group has 28 branches worldwide.
About COBMEX® Apparel Inc.
Since 1998, COBMEX® has manufactured knitwear used by a wide range of corporate and public safety customers. Based in Toronto, Canada, the corporation operates four separately wholly owned companies in four different countries. COBMEX® is the leading knitwear supplier to both the Corporate and Public Safety Uniform Industries in North America and serves major brands globally.
For media inquiries please contact
Jon Edberg, Executive Vice President, COBMEX® Apparel
jon@cobmex.com / +1.905.882.8363
