GRS: what it is and how to get it

The Global Recycle Standard is the most important voluntary international standard for recycled textiles and is promoted by the nonprofit Textile Exchange.

We have talked here about why recycled is important, so the question that arises is which certification to choose?

GRS 4.0 certification may be the answer. 

The goals of the standard are many: to track and trace recycled input materials, to provide customers (both brands and consumers) with a tool to make informed decisions, to reduce the impact of production that is harmful to people and the environment, to ensure that the materials in the finished product are actually recycled and processed in a sustainable manner, and finally, to drive innovation in addressing the "quality" problem of recycled materials. 

A product is GRS certifiable if it is composed of at least 20 percent recycled materials. Only products composed of at least 50 percent recycled materials, however, can be labeled as GRS.

The standard ensures the content of recycled materials in products, both intermediate and finished (Recycled Material Requirements), traceability of the production process (Supply Chain Requirements), restrictions in the use of chemicals (Chemical Requirements) and compliance with environmental and social criteria (Environmental and Social Requirements) at all stages of the production chain.

How to obtain GRS certification

To obtain GRS certification, every stage of production is analyzed, starting with the recycling stage and ending with the seller of the last B2B transaction. The requirements are subject to self-declaration, document collection and site visits.

In the GRS application guideline from the certifying body ICEA, the steps to be taken in order to apply are explained in detail.

Let's look together at the steps needed to obtain certification:

• Application for certification to the ICEA certifying body: it will be accepted upon conclusion of the contract for certification and payment of the fee for documentation evaluation. Specific documents must be attached to the submission
• Preliminary assessment: at this stage the completeness and correctness of the documentation provided, the composition of the products for which certification has been requested, the raw materials and their respective sources of supply and the chemicals used in manufacturing processes are verified
• Inspection verification: aimed at ascertaining that the products for which certification has been applied for actually comply with GRS characteristics, ascertaining compliance with environmental and social criteria, and, if necessary, collecting product and raw material samples for laboratory analysis
• Issuance of the Certificate of Conformity: the Organic Textile Products Evaluation and Certification Committee evaluates the above listed conformities. If successful, a certificate of compliance with GRS requirements will be issued and the company will be entered in the Register of Certified Products
• Surveillance: during the period of validity of the certificate, audits will be conducted to monitor continued compliance with GRS

GRS-certified companies

There are approximately 7,000 companies, worldwide, that are GRS certified.

Within the Registry of Textile Companies and Products certified by ICEA in accordance with Global Recycle Standard 4.0, the companies themselves are categorized by recycled material used.

Categories are divided into recovered material, cotton fiber, recycled polyurethane, recycled polyester, recycled polyamide, recycled viscose, regenerated wool, regenerated silk, etc...

If you want to have some examples of suppliers selling recycled materials, read our article here.

The benefits of GRS certification

Ultimately, why is it cost-effective to adopt this type of certification?

GRS is known to be one of the leading and most reliable certifications for products made from recycled material. For this reason, it is one of the requirements increasingly demanded by buyers.

Zalando, for example, is among the most sustainability-conscious buyers, and its goals are increasingly ambitious: to reduce 80 percent of its emissions by 2025 or to generate 25 percent of its merchandising volume composed of more sustainable products by near 2023.

In order to achieve its goals, it therefore becomes necessary to impose stringent requirements on brands that take advantage of the platform to sell their garments. 

In addition to opting for a very strict chemicals policy (Restricted Substances List, or RSL), Zalando has declared its Sustainable Sourcing Policy, whereby it requires its trading partners to set public targets for sourcing renewable or recycled synthetics from, for example, synthetic fibers by 2023.

A second positive aspect of the Global Recycle Standard is the breadth of the scope of assurance covered. Indeed, the requirements for certification are not limited to the product part but also include the social and chemical parts. With regard to the social part, the requirements are based on the principles of the Global Social Compliance Program: one or more persons are required to be responsible for compliance with social requirements, and policies are needed to ensure that workers are informed with respect to commitments on social criteria. Regarding chemicals that may be used in manufacturing processes, these must be screened by an Approved Certification Body and must meet several requirements.

An important clarification to be made regarding this last point is that GRS certification covers only the use and management of chemicals in the production of GRS products: it is therefore a product certification and not a company certification. 

Furthermore, the standard does not guarantee the absence of chemicals present in the final product, as it does not test for chemicals that might be present in remanufactured products used as inputs in GRS-certified production.

Difference between GRS certification and other certifications

GRS certification is not the only certification on the market that can offer a guarantee on recycled material. 

The Recycled Claim Standard (RCS), for example, plays a crucial role within the sustainability certification portfolio. 

Let's take a look at what are its characteristics and what are the differences between RCS and GRS.

Like GRS, RCS is also certified by ICEA and promoted by Textile Exchange. Another common feature is that it seeks to meet the ISO definition of recycled and the fact that both pre-consumer and post-consumer material is accepted for certification purposes. The goals that the two certifications share are: tracking recycled input materials, providing customers with tools to make informed purchasing choices, and ensuring that materials are actually recycled.

Let's look at the aspects that, instead, set them apart: 

• RCS does not contain requirements for the chemical additives used and does not include guidelines for environmental management and corporate social responsibility, so GRS provides additional assurance that the materials in the finished product are actually recycled and processed in the most sustainable way possible
• RCS is adopted by about 2,500 companies, as opposed to the 7,000 that adhere to GRS
• The RCS certification logo varies depending on the amount of recycled material that makes up the product. It is possible to use the Recycled Claim Standard Blended logo in the case where the percentage of recycled material that makes up the product ranges between 5% and 95%. In cases where the material is 100% recycled, the RCS 100 logo can be used.

Is it enough to adopt GRS certification to be able to define one's actions as sustainable? 

Adopting the Global Recycle Standard, as we have seen, brings the company several benefits and guarantees. 

It is important to keep in mind, however, that, like any other certification, adopting GRS without considering other important levers is not enough to drastically cut emissions. 

The topic of sustainability is vast and complex, and a comprehensive, 360-degree understanding of it requires strong expertise in the field. 

It is easy to get confused, to spread misinformation, or even to have to make up for one's mistakes by wasting resources such as time and money.

Cikis helps you on this path, balancing and adapting the different sustainability levers to each specific business case, respecting needs and requirements.