Dae Ha has added Oeko-Tex Standard 100 to certifications for its DTF film to help highlight its quality in the face of cheaper products coming onto the market.
Introduced by Dae Ha UK in January, the film for direct-to-film (DTF) printing has been audited for compliance with Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Class 2 which ensures products contain no harmful substances.
It adds to the film’s EN71-3 accreditation, which covers different aspects of product safety, and its certified conformity with the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). It is made from recycled blended polyester, certified by Control Union.
Dae Ha UK has also formed a partnership with UK-based Indie Inks to supply its DTF powder, which carries the Oeko-Tex Eco Passport certification for chemicals, colourants and accessories used in the textile industry.
It has also started offering Indie Inks’ specially formulated DTF ink designed exclusively for use with Dae Ha DTF film, which also has Oeko-Tex Eco Passport certification.
Michael Overy, executive director of Dae Ha UK and director of business development at Dae Ha Europe, said: “The market is being flooded with DTF film, mostly from China, so we wanted to differentiate ourselves from what is being produced globally.
“We had some particular customers in Europe and some other locations globally requesting it. There still aren’t that many Oeko-Tex-approved DTF films.
“It sets us apart from all the non-certified DTF films to demonstrate that the products we sell for DTF, including the powder and the ink, are of a very high raw material standard with no nasty chemicals in them.
“Because price competition from China is so fierce, we have to compete with the quality and consistency and the benefits that our film brings, and Oeko-Tex is there to support that message.”
Michael said that it was currently mostly customers in the UK and the rest of Europe who sought out the Oeko-Tex certification as its tagline of “textiles you can trust” resonated with them.
“With the powder and inks from Indie Inks, it completes the circle to demonstrate we are a trusted supplier.”
He added that Dae Ha’s DTF film also offered lower costs and less energy consumption thanks to its consistency, efficiency and the ability to apply transfers at temperatures as low as 120C and to potentially cure in the oven at 75C.
