History
In 1974, several mediumsized European companies of the bedfeather and bedding industry teamed up and formed a quality circle, the “Kontrollgemeinschaft Federnsiegel”.
The major aim was to label premium quality bedding with an individual and recognizable seal. Only duvets and pillows that were filled with new down and feathers according to RAL 092 A2 initially and later (since 2001) to class 1 (EN 12934), were allowed to use the label Traumpass at that time.
In 2006, the cooperation with DIN CERTCO started. DIN CERTCO is an international certification organization, with TÜV (80%) and DIN (20%) participation. Since September 2006, all companies wanting to use the Traumpass label for their products have to undergo a first certification and constantly ongoing checks. For these checks, the products of the specific manufacturer are bought anonymously in retail and are examined by accredited testing institutes. The filling must consist of new class 1 materials and the composition must be declared correctly on the lab
In 2011 the Traumpass Fashion e. V. was established. The association is formed by producers of clothing filled with down and feathers. Similar to Traumpass, the task is to ensure that the used fillings were not harvested from live animals and are of the highest level of quality (class 1) according to EN 12934.
Since May 2012, the Traumpass seal has been awarded exclusively to bedding that does not use down and feathers from living animals. The seal was previously awarded to filling that met the conditions of Class I. However, this narrow remit meant that increased consumer interest in using filling materials not sourced from living animals was not adequately taken into account. In particular, bedding made for the international market is increasingly using filling materials that meet the conditions specified for Class II. Traumpass e.V. has therefore decided to adjust its requirements accordingly: from 1 January 2013, the remit of the seal will be extended to include Class II. However, to ensure that the highest quality standards are maintained, the proportion of other elements used in filling materials should be max. 10% rather than the 15% permitted by EN 12934.
- In future, the Traumpass seal will be awarded to products that meet the criteria for the two highest quality classes of EN 12934.
- During the transition period from 01/01 to 31/12/13, 2 seals will be used in parallel by the industry. They differ in terms of the marked category. Products that state the filling used adheres to Class I requirements must of course use the relevant materials.
Only audited and certified companies may use the Traumpass seal. This ensures that quality standards are maintained and the traceability of the down and feather used is guaranteed. A certification organisation, testing laboratory and notary/ lawyer’s office will monitor ongoing adherence to the strict conditions.
A list of all certified companies entitled to use the Traumpass seal can be found on the DIN CERTCO website (http://www.dincertco.de/de/zertifikatinhaber_daunen_und_federbetten_traumpass_.html).
