Two centuries of textiles analysis

Swiss firm TESTEX—an international leader in the testing and certification of fabrics and leather products—makes it their mission to help provide that protection. Having spent the better part of two centuries in the textiles analysis business, TESTEX is uniquely positioned as a reliable partner for textile and garment producers looking to ensure the safety of their products.

“Our main goal is simply to make textiles safer,” said Dr. Andreas Kapaklis, laboratory team leader at TESTEX. “So, by testing, for example, a t-shirt, we hope to mitigate the risk of wearing that t-shirt close to your body every day.”

It sounds simple enough, but it’s no small task; among the chemicals used in the production of modern textiles, there’s a laundry list of potential public dangers. Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals”)—widely used for stain- and waterproofing—have links to endocrine disruption and cancer.^2,3 Formaldehyde, used to improve color retention and wrinkle resistance, is a known carcinogen and respiratory irritant.^4,5 Azo dyes bring vibrant color; however, some Azo dyes might have the potential for genotoxicity.6 The list goes on and on.

The broad scope and diverse chemical nature of these compounds present a huge challenge for labs like TESTEX. Their state-of-the-art analytical facility carries out scores of tests to determine the presence and levels of harmful substances, all within a framework of complex and shifting EN and ISO regulations. Certified to ISO 17025 standard by the Swiss Accreditation Service (SAS), their on-site lab scrutinizes around 250,000 samples per year, employing a host of Agilent analytical instruments and skilled analysts to run them.

TESTEX’s partnership with Agilent

“We use the newest Agilent innovations in the lab, including the Intuvo GC and high-end LC triple quads like Ultivo and the 6495C,” said Dr. Kapaklis. “We also use digital solutions from Agilent—almost exclusively MassHunter software—which, for us, is the right software to streamline our processes.” The partnership between TESTEX and Agilent goes back over 15 years. “It’s a good relationship,” Dr. Kapaklis added. “We always have the support we need from Agilent in order to implement these technological innovations into our everyday life in the lab.”

In addition to chemical analysis, TESTEX also carries out other types of testing aimed at ensuring the performance and safety of textiles. These include physical tests related to things like usage and color fastness, and are performed on samples ranging from fibers, single and ply yarns, and woven and knitted fabrics, to nonwovens, leather, and finished products. Textile and garment manufacturers seek out their services to ensure consumer safety and, consequently, the integrity of their brand in the eyes of consumers. But there’s even more to it than that.

Improving textile safety and environmental sustainability

In 1993, TESTEX was a founding member of the OEKO-TEX? association, an organization responsible for certifying textile safety worldwide. OEKO-TEX? certification can also include assessment of production sites for things like working conditions and environmental impact—important measures of social responsibility. For clothing and textile manufacturers, earning OEKO-TEX? certifications is a globally recognized way of demonstrating commitment to the highest standards of safety and sustainability.

Of course, TESTEX themselves aim to set an example in terms of sustainability, as Dr. Kapaklis explained. “Our sustainability goals, in addition to being a paperless lab, include on-site production of the gases needed to run our instruments, and in 2025, we are investing extensively in solar panels,” he said. Significantly, TESTEX has also implemented programs to find new homes for instruments that have reached the end of their usefulness in their labs, but that might be well suited for continued use in educational or other settings. Innovative moves like this help extract maximum value from investments while supporting a circular economy model to help reduce their ecological footprint.

By shining their sharp analytical light on our textiles and clothing, TESTEX has accomplished more than just highlighting the otherwise invisible chemicals hidden within them; they’ve been part of a shift toward greater safety in how textiles are manufactured. “Over the past 30 years, we have seen that the use of chemicals has been going down,” Dr. Kapaklis said. “This is what we strive for. By revealing potential risks, we hope to enable safer choices for consumers.”

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References

1. Roos, S. et al. An Inventory Framework for Inclusion of Textile Chemicals in Life Cycle Assessment. Int. J. Life Cycle Assessment 24(5), 838–847 (2019).
2. Coperchini, F. et al. Thyroid Disrupting Effects of Old and New Generation PFAS. Frontiers in Endocrinology 11, 2020 (2021).
3. Li, S. et al. Associations Between Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and County-Level Cancer Incidence Between 2016 and 2021 and Incident Cancer Burden Attributable to PFAS in Drinking Water in the United States. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology 35, 425–436 (2025).
4. Blair, A. et al. Epidemiologic Evidence on the Relationship Between Formaldehyde Exposure and Cancer. Scand. J. Work Environ. Health16, 381–393 (1990).
5. Bhat, A. A. et al. The Impact of Formaldehyde Exposure on Lung Inflammatory Disorders: Insights into Asthma, Bronchitis, and Pulmonary Fibrosis. Chemico-Biological Interactions 394, 111002 (2024).
6. Sweeney, E. A., Chipman, J. K., and Forsythe, S. J. Evidence for Direct-Acting Oxidative Genotoxicity by Reduction Products of Azo Dyes. Environ. Health Perspect. 102 (Suppl 6), 119-122 (1994).