Berry Global Group, Inc. has announced its first three sites in North America to achieve the OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 certification, which validates materials used in manufacturing are free of harmful substances. These materials include virgin resin, recycled content, and renewable raw materials.. Berry has recently passed OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 certification for its spunmelt plants in Mooresville and Statesville, NC; and Waynesboro, VA.
 
The three plants produce materials that are used in product categories for hygiene, specialties, and healthcare, which includes baby diapers, feminine care, adult incontinence, and wipes applications. This certification is an important step for Berry to deliver on its customer expectations of supply chain transparency, particularly with the growing utilization of circular raw materials like recycled or renewable materials. The STANDARD 100 certification product label will be used by Berry for textile products to denote that all processing stages have been tested for harmful substances and that the article therefore is harmless for human health.
 
“We are excited to extend our environmentally responsible efforts for all of our U.S. spunmelt operations and will continue the process with other facilities as we move to address our customers’ sustainability goals and objectives,” says Rusty Tindall, Nonwoven Product Development Director for Berry in U.S. and Canada.  “The testing and certification of these in-demand circular materials helps Berry ensure product safety for our customers.”
 
STANDARD 100 is certified uniformly around the world by the independent OEKO-TEX institutes and is applicable to all processing steps of textile products from the polymer to the end product. In addition, the OEKO-TEX certification confirms that the conditions of Berry’s production facilities are environmentally and socially responsible. To ensure statutory conformity in consumer and environmental safety, Berry will be a part of a continuous auditing process that is conducted by OEKO-TEX on an annual basis.