Gabriel_Annual_Report_2024-25 - Flipbook - Page 55
CONTENTS // SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT // ENVIRONMENT – RESOURCE USE AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Documentation, labels and certifications
OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100
OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 is the world’s leading health label for textiles. The label certifies that
a product has been tested and approved according to the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 requirements. These requirements concern, for example, the content of chemicals in textiles which pose
– or are suspected of posing – a health risk. The substances in question include: formaldehyde,
chemical residues with an acidic or basic action, pesticides, phenols, heavy metals, special dyes
and phthalates. OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 requirements generally go further than current legislation and are divided into four classes, depending on the textile’s use (for example, the level
of direct skin exposure).
Life cycle assessment (LCA)
An LCA assesses a product’s potential environmental impact throughout its life cycle within a wide range of
environmental parameters including climate, aquatic environment and health. A product’s environmental impact
is calculated and assessed by charting the total amount of resources, materials, energy, water, waste and emissions used and/or produced throughout its life cycle. Characterisation factors, methods and software are used
to convert these data into a potential impact on the environment. Gabriel started publishing LCA results on its
website during the financial year.
Read more here
Read more here
DS/16/20
EU Ecolabel
The EU Ecolabel is the European Union’s official environmental label and covers environmental
issues throughout a product’s life cycle stages. The labelling system focuses on energy, water
and chemicals and on reducing the main environmental impacts of a given product. For textiles,
this means focusing on the quantity of pesticide residues in the raw material, the scouring of the
raw wool, the use and emissions of hazardous chemicals in production and the quantity of toxic
substances and heavy metals in the finished product. The EU Ecolabel also sets requirements
concerning the product’s quality to ensure that the product carrying the environmental label is
at least of the same quality as the non-labelled alternative.
Environmental product declarations (EPD)
An EPD is a standardised document communicating LCA results (calculated environmental impacts) and contains information on the products and the method used. EPDs follow a fixed structure. Both the method used
for delimitation, allocation, environmental impact categories and emission factors and the contents of the
actual declaration are fixed. The purpose of EPDs is to communicate a product’s environmental impact to
inform choices and ensure a transparent, fair basis for comparing products across environmental impacts and
suppliers. It is a requirement that EPDs are verified by an independent third party. Gabriel’s EPDs are in accordance with EN 15804+A2, which is widely used in Gabriel’s and its customers’ industry. The Gabriel Group
published its first EPDs for furniture fabrics through EPD Danmark in the financial year under review. The EPDs
are available on Gabriel’s website.
Read more here
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98%
83%
of fabrics in Gabriel’s
global standard collection
are OEKO-TEX®
STANDARD 100-certified
of fabrics in Gabriel’s
global standard collection
carry the EU Ecolabel
DK/016/020
Volatile organic compounds (VOC) under ANSI/BIFMA M7.1
This test method is intended for determining VOC emissions from furniture under environmental and product
usage conditions that are typically found in buildings. The standard is used, for example, in new buildings and
renovations of existing buildings where the interior climate is important.
The majority of Gabriel’s global standard designs are tested.
For more information, see: Standards Descriptions – BIFMA.
Read more here
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