Textile Exchange adds social elements to revamped recycling standards
04/07/2017
Unifi, Hohenstein, H&M and Global Organic Textile Standard are among the working group members to have revised the guides over the past year.
The RCS and GRS provide verification of recycled materials, and then track the material through to the final product. The GRS includes additional social, environmental and chemical processing requirements.
A key change in both standards is the introduction of the Reclaimed Materials Supplier Agreement. This document provides more visibility to the suppliers of reclaimed materials.
A change in the Global Recycled Standard is the adoption of ZDHC’s Manufacturing Restricted Substance List v1.1. The MRSL has been developed by the industry to address intentional use of potentially hazardous substances. The MRSL will replace GRS’s previous Prohibited Substance List.
In 2016, the number of units certified to the GRS grew from 595 to 961, a growth of over 60%. The RCS saw an almost 200% jump from 78 units in 2015 to 220 in 2016.
Companies certified to one of the standards will be required to comply with the new versions by July 1, 2018.
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