Consumers around the world are paying more and more attention to “health”, “environmental protection”, “organic” and “green”. In order to meet the demand, major brands and associations in various countries have developed corresponding certification standards. And how to occupy the market first, through such certification is undoubtedly the textile enterprises must face the problem.
The following is a brief introduction to GRS, OCS, GOTS, RDS, Bluesign, Oeko-tex, and other certifications.
1、GRS certification
GRS is a voluntary, international, complete product standard for supply chain manufacturers on product recycling, chain of custody, recycled content, social and environmental compliance, and enforcement of chemical restrictions, sponsored by Textile Exchange and certified by a third-party certification body.
The purpose of GRS certification is to ensure that the claims made on the product are correct and that the product was produced in a good working environment with minimal environmental impact and chemical influence.
Application for GRS certification must meet the requirements of Traceability, Environmental, Social, Label, and General five major areas.
In addition to raw material specifications, this standard also includes environmental processing standards. It includes strict wastewater treatment requirements and chemical use (according to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) as well as Oeko-Tex 100. Social responsibility factors are also included in the GRS, which aims to ensure the health and safety of workers, support workers’ labor rights, and comply with standards set by the International Labor Organization (ILO).
2、OCS certification
The Organic Content Standard (OCS) can be applied to all non-food products that contain 5% to 100% organic ingredients. This standard can be used to verify the content of organic ingredients in the final product. It can be used to trace raw materials from source to final product and the process is certified by a trusted third-party organization. The standard will uphold transparency and consistency in the completely independent assessment of the organic content of the product. The standard can be used as a business-to-business tool to help companies ensure that the products they buy or pay for are in compliance with their requirements.
Certified for: Non-food products made with approved organic ingredients.
Scope of certification: OCS product production management
Product Requirements: Contains 5% or more of ingredients that meet recognized organic standards
3、GOTS certification
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is defined as the requirements for ensuring the organic status of textiles, including the harvesting of raw materials, environmentally and socially responsible production, and labeling to ensure consumer information about the product.
This standard makes provisions for the processing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, import, export, and distribution of organic textiles. End products may include, but are not limited to: fiber products, yarns, fabrics, clothing, and home textiles, this standard is only concerned with mandatory requirements.
Certification object: textiles produced with organic natural fibers
Scope of certification: GOTs products production management, environmental protection, social responsibility are three aspects
Product requirements: contains 70% organic natural fibers, no blends allowed, up to 10% synthetic or recycled fibers (sporting goods can contain up to 25% synthetic or recycled fibers), no genetically modified fibers.
4、RDS certification
RDS Humane Responsible Down Standard (ResponsibleDown Standard). The ResponsibleDown Standard is a certification program developed by The North Face, a VF Group company, in cooperation with the Textile Exchange and ControlUnion Certifications, a third-party certification body in the Netherlands. The project was officially launched in January 2014 and the first certificate was issued in June of the same year. During the development of the certification program, the issuer worked with leading suppliers AlliedFeather & Down and Downlite to analyze and verify that each link in the down supply chain was up to standard.
The feathers of geese, ducks, and other birds in the food industry are among the highest quality and best performing down apparel materials. The Humane Down Standard was created to evaluate and track the source of any down-based product, from the goose to the end product, in a chain of custody.
5、Bluesign
Bluesign is a new generation of eco-code developed by representatives of academia, industry, environmental protection, and consumer organizations, and was launched on October 17, 2000, in Hanover, Germany by Blue Mark Technologies. The textile brands and products licensed by this company represent that their processes and products comply with Environment, Health, and Safety; EHS is the latest global standard for environmental protection and safety for consumers.
6、Oeko-TEX
The OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 was developed in 1992 by the OEKO-TEX®Association to test the properties of textile and clothing products with regard to their impact on human health. The test items include pH, formaldehyde, heavy metals, pesticides/herbicides, chlorinated phenols, phthalates, organotin compounds, azo dyes, carcinogenic/sensitizing dyes, OPP, PFOS, PFOA, chlorobenzene and chlorotoluene, PAHs, colorfastness, volatiles, odor, etc. The products are divided into four categories according to the end-use: Class I for infants, Class II for direct contact with skin, Class III for no direct contact with skin, and Class III for no direct contact with skin. Class III is not in direct contact with skin and Class IV is for decoration.
