Tights have made a delicate product extremely sophisticated. Design errors or manufacturing defects can lead to fatal accidents. However, how can we provide guidance to users when reliable quality control requires a laboratory for measurement and in-depth knowledge of sports medicine?

That was the question that the resourceful employees of TUV Bayern asked themselves, especially since they took the position of advocates of “consumer safety”. The Federal Ministry of Labor came up with the idea of ​​a generally recognized seal for “safety certification” (GeprufteSicherheit – GS).

The concept is not new, but all previous attempts to establish a comprehensive certified seal have failed due to a lack of agreement between various industries, associations, research institutes and policy makers.

This time, however, the initiative was successful: In the winter of 1977-78, the GS logo was placed on hundreds of thousands of West German stores. Soon, “TUV stickers” for motor vehicles became a recognizable sight for consumers.