Four certifications, four different jobs
"Are you certified?" is the wrong question. BSCI, OEKO-TEX, Sedex/SMETA and SA8000 cover four different things, are issued by different bodies, and are checked by different buyers. Here is the comparison table buyers should keep next to their supplier shortlist.
1. What each certification actually covers
| Certification |
What it covers |
Issued by |
Applies to |
Who usually asks for it |
| BSCI (amfori BSCI) |
Social compliance — working hours, wages, health & safety, no child labour, freedom of association |
amfori, audited by third-party firms (e.g. SGS, Intertek, TÜV) |
The factory / production site |
EU retail chains and their importers |
| OEKO-TEX Standard 100 |
Product safety — harmful substances in fabric, thread, trims and prints (Class I for baby, Class II for skin-contact adult wear) |
OEKO-TEX institutes (e.g. Hohenstein, TESTEX) |
The material / article, tested per recipe and colour |
Anyone selling into the EU/US who needs a skin-safety file |
| Sedex / SMETA |
Ethical audit in a shared platform format — labour standards, environment, business ethics, health & safety |
Sedex (platform); audits by approved firms |
The site; report is shared with multiple customers |
UK and EU buyers who accept SMETA instead of running their own audit |
| SA8000 |
Social accountability certification built on ILO conventions — the most demanding of the four, with management-system requirements |
SAI-accredited certification bodies |
The organisation / site |
Buyers with strict ESG or licence-programme requirements |
The single most common misconception: BSCI and OEKO-TEX are not alternatives. BSCI is about how people are treated; OEKO-TEX is about what is in the fabric. A supplier with one and not the other has only half the compliance story.
2. Which market expects what
| Market |
Typically requested |
Notes |
| EU (Germany, Netherlands, France, Nordics) |
BSCI or SMETA + OEKO-TEX Std 100 |
Retail chains increasingly ask for both plus packaging compliance (EU PPWR) |
| UK |
SMETA (Sedex) + OEKO-TEX |
UKCA labelling requirements sit on top of the certification file |
| US |
OEKO-TEX or equivalent lab testing; CPSIA for kids |
Children's wear needs CPSIA/CPSC documentation, not just OEKO-TEX |
| Latin America (BR, CL, PE, UY, AR) |
OEKO-TEX + import documentation |
Customs classification and labelling matter as much as certification |
3. How to verify a certificate in five minutes
- Ask for the number, not a scan. A PDF can be edited; a certificate number can be checked.
- Check it on the issuing body's own database — amfori for BSCI, the OEKO-TEX label ID lookup, Sedex for SMETA reports.
- Look at the expiry date and the scope. A certificate can be valid but cover a different site, a different product class or a colour range you are not buying.
- Match the name on the certificate to the site that will actually produce your order. This is where trading companies and factories diverge — ask who the audit was issued to.
4. How we handle this as a trading company
Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd. is an OEM & ODM underwear supplier, not a factory owner. Our production runs through long-term partner factories in China that are BSCI-audited and OEKO-TEX-audited, and we manage the paperwork side of the order: certificate numbers for each production site used on your order, material test reports, and the compliance file your customs broker or retail compliance team will ask for.
That structure is deliberate: it lets a brand place men's, women's, kids' underwear and sleepwear with one supplier, one QC standard and one compliance file, instead of managing four factories and four audit calendars.
5. Questions buyers ask us most
| Question |
Short answer |
| Is OEKO-TEX the same as BSCI? |
No. OEKO-TEX is about substances in the product; BSCI is about social compliance at the site. |
| Can I use a supplier's certificate for my own labelling claim? |
Only for the scope it covers (correct product class, correct site). Check both before printing anything. |
| Do I need SA8000 to sell in the EU? |
No. BSCI or SMETA plus OEKO-TEX covers the large majority of EU retail requirements; SA8000 is usually a licence-programme or ESG-driven requirement. |
| How long is a certificate valid? |
BSCI audits run on a 1–2 year cycle depending on grade; OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is issued annually and must be renewed. |
| Who pays for testing? |
Material testing is normally built into the order; buyer-specific or retail-programme testing is quoted separately. |
Need the certificate numbers for the sites that would run your order, or the material test reports for a specific fabric? Write to [email protected] or WhatsApp +86 186 5081 3853 with your product and destination market.
