GRS (Global Recycled Standard) (1): The Global Recycled Standard certification, GRS, is granted to garments that contain at least 50% recycled materials, sources from either pre or post-consumer waste. The testing process to receive this certification is quite advanced and difficult to pass at every step of production, as it also requires chemical inspection from a social and environmental level.
Please refer here for the GRS Implementation Manual.
RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) (1): RCS, Recycled Claim Standard, is a voluntary certification process signifying that a product contains at least 5% recycled material. It is not only tested on the final product but it is checked every step of the way from start to finish. There are many objectives of RCS, but most importantly, it raises awareness of the ever-growing textile circularity topic allowing consumers to make more informative purchases.
Please refer here for the RCS Manual.
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) (2)(3)(4)(5): The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification guarantees the highest level of preservation for trees and biodiversity within a forest. FSC-certified clothing assures that the cellulose used to create the garment was derived from a sustainably managed forest. Surrounding communities, taxonomic species groups that live within, other biodiversity, and people working in the forest are much less likely to be burdened by environmentally degrading substances since FSC prevents them from entering. To earn the FSC certification, there are ten principles that adhere to strict environmental, social, and economic standards that must be met. Deforestation is a massive issue that is caused by the overharvesting of cellulose. FSC ensures minimal destruction to the trees rather than cutting the entire tree down.
Please refer here to view FSC ten principles. To learn more about FSC, please refer here.
OEKO-TEX (6): Oeko-Tex Standard 100 forbids toxic harmful substances from being present in the final product and throughout the production process, with hopes of preventing severe health effects on the people and planet. Harmful chemicals present on the garment can affect the person creating the product, as well as the person wearing the product. Environmentally, if these chemicals are in contact with soil and water, they can seep out of the garment, especially when heat is present. Testing is done on the final product and during production.
To learn more about OEKO-TEX Standard 100, please refer here.
GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) (7): GOTS, Global Organic Textile Standard, is a holistic full traceability standard certifying every part of a textile process from harvesting raw materials, and environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing to labeling. They are incredibly critical in how they deem a garment organic. Furthermore, safe labor is of utmost importance. Being organic sustains the health of the ecosystem, soil, farms, and anyone else involved in the handling of the fiber all the way to the final textile. Included in this, the chemicals used on the textile must be GOTS-approved, serving as another layer of human and environmental protection. Plus, allergenic, carcinogenic, and toxic chemical residues are completely forbidden from usage. Consequently, 70% of the textile has to be organic, and the fiber needs to be 95% organic if being classified so. For context, GOTS works alongside OCA (Organic Cotton Accelerator) and Textile Exchange for proficiency testing in laboratories to inspect samples for GMOs (genetically modified organisms). What's so great about GOTS is that they work towards a safe and environmentally organic ecosystem not disrupted by the fashion industry and that there are so many other sectors in which they can practice safety for both groups, and it's not just organic.
To learn more about GOTS, please refer here.
Pre-Consumer (8): The by-product of raw-material production scraps that didn’t make it further into production, is the base of what a pre-consumer fiber is. Pre-consumer fibers promote a cyclical cycle of reproduction by finding a home for scraps that would have ended up in landfills and waterways. For example, Pre-consumer polyamide is a microplastic shed recycled from the process of tuning the non-renewable resource, oil, into fiber.
* Both pre and post-consumer material help us slow down the amount of natural resources we are taking away from the environment.
Post-consumer (8): Repurposing used textiles to create new yarn is what makes up post-consumer fiber. Traditionally, when a textile reaches the end of its life by a consumer, it is thrown out. There are many clothing recycling centers, as well as facilities outside the United States that turn these garments into new material to create a new garment. This reduces the amount of clothes sitting in a landfill, which prevents chemicals from seeping into the soil and leaking into waterways. Instead of dropping the clothing in a landfill which accumulates and takes up much space from nature, we are giving a garment a new life.
* Both pre and post-consumer material help us slow down the amount of natural resources we are taking away from the environment.
RWS (Responsible Wool Standard) (9): Most sheep used for fabrics are treated with great harm. RWS ensures no sheep is mistreated physically. For context, the sheep that live on a RWS certified farm are being taken care of in a humane way on safe lands. In addition, there are social requirements for who is involved in the wool process.
To learn more about RWS, please refer here.
ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATIONS
WORK CITED
1. Recycled claim standard (RCS) + Global Recycled Standard (GRS). Textile Exchange. (2024, May 8). https://textileexchange.org/recycled-claim-global-recycled-standard/
2. About Us. fsc.org. (n.d.). https://fsc.org/en/about-us?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwu8uyBhC6ARIsAKwBGpSnxUaZqbTDXQ3T-n026nKwXg1GLMd8nhPOFEG6BkV8tnzYyIxlSzsaAqHrEALw_wcB
3. Fashion: Forest stewardship council. fsc.org. (n.d.-b). https://fsc.org/en/businesses/fashion
4. Motivation and influence of FSC forest management ... fsc.org . (2019, December). https://fsc.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/PSC.46.03b_FSC-China_Motivation+Influence-of-FSC-FM-Certification_2019-12.pdf
5. Deforestation and forest degradation. fsc.org. (n.d.-b). https://fsc.org/en/deforestation-and-forest-degradation
6. OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100: the original safety standard. . OEKO TEX. (n.d.). https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/our-standards/oeko-tex-standard-100
7. Home - Gots - Global Organic Textile Standard. Home - GOTS - Global Organic Textile Standard. (n.d.-a). https://global-standard.org/
8. Pre-consumer vs. post-consumer content. Duvaltex. (2015, September 30). https://duvaltex.com/en-us/news/pre-consumer-vs-post-consumer-content#:~:text=Pre%2DConsumer%20Recycled&text=This%20means%20the%20material%20is,is%20derived%20from%20plastic%20bottles
9. Responsible wool standard (RWS). Textile Exchange. (2024b, May 8). https://textileexchange.org/responsible-wool-standard/