Five core requirements for GRS certification of recycled fabrics

Since 2019, with the popularity of recycled fabrics in Europe and the United States, and then transmitted to China, recycled fabrics have become the new favorite of many weavers, with many orders, high profits and good market prospects. This series of superior conditions have attracted a large number of entrants, both traders and textile mills are applying for GRS certificates.

The GRS standard is applicable to products with 20% or more recycled content, and canbe applied to any supply chain.

GRS certification involves five core standards:

Application for GRS certification must meet the requirements of five aspects: traceability, environmental protection, social responsibility, label and general principles.

A) Traceability criteria

Rules and regulations on product transportation and certificate use

Guidelines on control of purchased products

Guidelines on management

Guidelines on quality control

Criteria related to the calculation of the proportion of GRS materials to non GRS materials using the total balance calculation method

B) Environmental guidelines

Guidelines on environmental management

The certified company must have an environmental policy manual

The certified company must comprehensively file chemicals, energy, water consumptionand wastewater treatment. Including treatment of wastewater sediment

Wastewater without wastewater treatment shall not be discharged. The following treatment methods can be used: wastewater treatment within the company or wastewater treatment by local authorities

The waste water does not contain any additives and should be cooled below 40 ℃/104 ℉ before discharge

Wastewater with PH value less than 6 and more than 9 shall be neutralized until it is between the above limits

C) Social norms

It is applicable to any link of the certification chain and starts from the waste collection station. This also means that the suppliers of waste products are not yet included in the scope of certification. The standard is trying to extend social norms to the supply chain of waste collection stations for recycling purposes

There are guidelines on workers' health and safety

Guidelines on workers' rights

Guidelines on training

Guidelines on health, hazards and first aid

D) Use of label grades and signs

Guidelines for the registration of labels and the use of signs

E) General principles

Criteria for inspection

Related terms

Foreign raw materials: any dependent substances different from the raw materials used for recycling and processing.

Pre consumer waste: waste produced in the production process as raw materials. It doesnot include the recycled raw materials generated in the production process that can be put into the same production process again, such as reworked raw materials, reground raw materials or fragments.

Post consumer waste: waste materials from households or other commercial, industrial and other facilities as final consumers of products, and such waste can no longer be used for the intended production purpose. It also includes raw materials recovered from waste recycling stations.

Raw materials: pre consumer or post consumer waste/old materials used for recycling purposes during recycling processing.

GRS is specified for the needs of the textile industry, checking for recycled products or certain specific products. What is more important is to let retailers and consumers know which parts of a specific product are recycled materials, and how to deal with these materials in the supply chain.