Certification and Registration
Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and Recycled Content Standard (RCS)
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Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and Recycled Content Standard (RCS)
What is the Global Recycled Standard (GRS)?
The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) was originally developed by Control Union Certifications (CU) in 2008, and ownership was transferred to Textile Exchange (TE) on January 1, 2011. The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) is a voluntary product standard for tracking and verifying the content of recycled materials in final products. The standard applies to the entire supply chain and addresses traceability, environmental principles, social requirements, chemical composition and labeling. with GRS certification, you can communicate your commitment to material authenticity to your customers and support the circular economy by using it to make new products to reduce waste.
What is the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS)?
The Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) is an international voluntary standard that sets requirements for third parties. It is a chain of custody standard used to track recycled raw materials through the supply chain.
The Recycled Claim Standard applies to any product containing at least 5% recycled material. Each stage of production needs to be certified, starting from the recycling stage and ending with the last seller in the final business-to-business transaction. Material collection and material concentration sites are subject to self-declarations, document collection and on-site visits.
Who can obtain GRS/RCS certification?
GRS/RCS applies to companies in the textile industry engaged in spinning, knitting, printing, manufacturing, weaving, dyeing, distribution and branding, as well as recyclers and processors of recycled materials.
Although GRS/RCS is owned by Textile Exchange, the scope of products is not limited to textiles and can include any type of product containing recycled materials, such as the plastics industry, metal industry, electronics and electrical industry, light industry, etc.
Certification Requirements
◉ Recycled material requirements: product specification sheets, loss tables, material balance sheets (recycled material percentage calculation), recycled process control documents, etc. A product recycled content greater than 20% is the entry condition for certification;
◉ Social responsibility requirements: whether the company has an environmental management system, fire, safety, occupational health assessment reports or testing reports, etc.;
◉ Environmental requirements: environmental impact assessment, approval, acceptance and other documents, discharge permits and treatment records for wastewater and waste gas;
◉ Chemical requirements: list of approved chemicals and supplier list for GRS products, MSDS, test reports;
RCS only certifies recycled content (recycled material requirements), and a product recycled content greater than 5% is the entry condition for certification.
Certification Requirements
The certification cycle is approximately 1 month, the certificate is valid for 1 year, and the renewal audit for the next cycle must be initiated and completed within 3 months before expiry.
What does GRS/RCS certification bring?
The reuse of materials helps reduce dependence on non-renewable resources, reduces waste emissions, and deals with waste that burdens the environment, contributing to the sustainable development of society.
The rational utilization of recycled resources has drawn increasing attention from brand buyers and consumers. Currently, many European and American brands require domestic suppliers to obtain GRS/RCS certificates. without GRS/RCS certificates, there will be no cooperation opportunities, let alone being included in the procurement lists of international buyers and world-renowned enterprises.
Products that have obtained GRS/RCS certification can bear the GRS/RCS logo in accordance with the relevant regulations of GRS/RCS, and can bear the brand logo in accordance with the relevant regulations of the brand. Both at the product level and the company level, it is easier to enter the international arena.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: My company has already been certified to the Global Recycled Standard (GRS). Does this mean we are also certified to the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS)?
A: No, Global Recycled Standard certification does not automatically include RCS certification. However, you can contact your certification body to add RCS to your existing certification. Usually, no additional audit is needed, as GRS also covers the requirements of RCS. The best option is to apply for certification to both GRS and RCS simultaneously.
Q: In the GRS, it mentions that the minimum content percentage is 20%, but in the standard's claims policy, it says the minimum is 50%. What does this mean?
A: You can use GRS as a business-to-business tool for any product containing at least 20% recycled content, but if you want to use the consumer-facing label, the product must contain at least 50% recycled content.
Q: What is the main difference between the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS)?
A: GRS is a more advanced version of RCS; GRS is the more rigorous standard. In GRS, there is a higher minimum content percentage (50%) and additional processing requirements (social, environmental and chemical) that must be met.
SATISFY can provides customers with one-stop GRS/RCS certification services. Our professional certification team provides strong support for GRS/RCS certification. Please contact SATISFY customer service for more information.
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SATISFY TECH AND SERVICE LLC delivers full-lifecycle technical solutions for children’s products, hygiene care, protective equipment, furniture, and building materials. Our framework spans compliance pre-assessment, standard upgrading, and risk control. We empower manufacturers and exporters through expert testing, certification, consulting, and standards interpretation.
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