GREENSBORO, N.C. — July 28, 2011 — PVH Corp., formerly known as the Philips-Van Heusen Corporation,
one of the world’s largest apparel companies and the largest shirt and neckwear company, has been
granted Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 certification for its men’s dress shirt lines marketed under PVH’s
well-known corporate brands, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Van Heusen, Izod, and Arrow, and its
licensed brands. The Oeko-Tex® certification will cover more than thirty million garments produced
in facilities throughout the world.
The Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 certification serves two strategic purposes for PVH. First, the
certification indicates that the dress shirts do not contain harmful levels of more than 100
substances believed to be dangerous for humans, confirming that the shirts are safe for the people
who make, sell, and buy them. Because potentially harmful substances are not present in the
certified garments, the production process and the dress shirts themselves are more environmentally
friendly as well. Second, Oeko-Tex® certification establishes a uniform, objective quality standard
that is recognized and easily implemented across PVH’s extensive worldwide supply chain. Both
aspects support PVH’s commitment to providing outstanding products made with consideration for
people and the environment.
“Because Oeko-Tex® is global,” says Mitchell Lechner, President of The Dress Shirt &
Underwear Group at PVH, “it aligns with our manufacturing network, providing support in all the
markets in which we operate. Plus, Oeko-Tex® certification sets a reliable, uniform specification
that all our suppliers can attain, no matter where in the world they manufacture. That means we
provide safe, consistently high quality dress shirts that meet or exceed all governmental
regulations, our internal standards, and our customers’ expectations.”
PVH encourages its suppliers to maintain Oeko-Tex® certification on dress shirt components
they sell to PVH. The International Oeko-Tex® Association’s worldwide presence, with offices in 52
countries, ensures that every PVH supplier has easy access to testing services and the additional
technical support the Oeko-Tex® member institutes provide to their customers.
“Oeko-Tex® certification is rigorous,” continues Lechner. “But at the end of the
certification process, we are certain that our dress shirts are toxin free, from the threads and
fabric, to the collar stays, to all the buttons.”
“PVH is the major dress shirt manufacturer in the market,” says Dr. Sam Moore, who represents
Oeko-Tex® in North America. “Their certification will have a very positive impact on the product
safety and sustainability of the world’s textile supply chain including the retail apparel
market.”
PVH will participate in MRket in Las Vegas beginning August 21.
Posted on August 1, 2011
Source: The International Oeko-Tex Association
