Our standards are globally applicable
A global nonprofit, Textile Exchange creates leaders in the preferred fibre and materials industry. With its new Climate+ strategy, Textile Exchange is the driving force for urgent climate action on textile fibre and materials with a goal of 45 per cent reduced CO2 emissions from textile fibre and material production by 2030. Director of Climate+ strategy Beth Jensen speaks to Fibre2Fashion on how the organisation is driving a race to the top.
What is the process of getting Textile Exchange certification, and what are its benefits to individual companies in the textile-apparel industry?
Certification is a tool for companies to validate and communicate sustainability claims about their products. Above all, it is a means for ensuring that your sustainability commitments lead to meaningful and positive change.
One of the biggest areas of impact in the fashion and textile supply chain is the raw material level, and it’s also the furthest away from the consumer. Certification offers a way to verify environmental, social, and animal welfare practices at the beginning of the supply chain and track the material to the final product. It provides brands with protection, confidence in their sourcing, and greater credibility to the claims they make.
The general steps to getting certified are listed below:
- Contact an approved Certification Body (CB) to request services. The CB will be your point of contact throughout the entire process of certification, from beginning to final labeling/communications.
- Fill out the application form from the CB and submit it. Tip: applying with more than one CB allows you to compare estimates.
- Upon receipt of your completed application, the CB will prepare an offer including estimates of price and timing.
- After the offer is accepted, you will be asked to sign a contract with the CB. Typically, a contract is valid for one year and will need to be renewed after that.
- The CB will send an auditor to review documents and procedures against the requirements of the standard. Tip: read the standard and prepare relevant documents and staff. Good preparation can reduce certification costs by saving auditing time.
- The results of the audit will be sent to the CB’s office in an audit report. A separate person will review them and make a final certification decision. If non-conformities (NC) are noted, you will be given a corrective action plan. All NCs must be closed for a scope certificate (SC) to be issued.
- Upon successfully meeting all requirements of the standard, a scope certificate will be issued.
- CBs may conduct unannounced inspections to verify that you are still complying with the standards.
- Following the shipment of certified goods to the given standard, contact your CB to apply for a transaction certificate (TC). Only products with an accompanying TC are considered certified.
Sustainability means different things to different people. How do you define sustainability?
Sustainability, by definition, is seeking to maintain or “sustain” the same. I prefer to use the term regeneration–not just maintaining the status quo but leaving the planet and its beings better than we found it. At Textile Exchange, we specifically focus on fibre and material production for the fashion and textile industry. Within this context, we want to go from a world in which our production systems are degrading the environment, to one in which they are sustaining and ultimately regenerating our ecosystems and life on the planet.
Are sustainable materials and circular materials the same? If not, what is the difference?
This question really depends on what definitions of “sustainable” and “circular” are being used. In some cases, the definition of circular materials can tend to focus more narrowly on recycled materials. However, there are broader definitions in use–for example, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation “Make Fashion Circular” initiative defines three key principles of the circular economy: elimination of waste and pollution; circulating products and materials at their highest value; and regenerating nature.
At Textile Exchange, we are focused on two key levers within our broader definition of “preferred materials:” keeping existing materials in use at their highest value, and where new materials must be extracted, ensuring they are from regenerative and organic production systems.
Which of the Textile Exchange standards is most commonly used the world over? Why?
All of Textile Exchange's standards have widespread global use within the fibre category and sustainability focus. For example, the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) and Global Recycled Standard (GRS) are leading standards in recycled, and the Responsible Wool Standard is the leading standard animal welfare for wool.
Out of all our standards, the recycled standards (RCS/GRS) have the highest number of certifications. However, this may also be because synthetics comprise 68 per cent of the entire fibre market.
What are the new standards proposed by Textile Exchange? By when are they going to be implemented?
Textile Exchange has begun a comprehensive revision of its standards framework. We will be moving from eight standards to one material-focused unified standard, and we are anticipating a release of the new standard towards Q4 2023, which is subject to change.
How does organic cotton differ from other cotton varieties? At what rate is the demand for organic cotton growing? Which countries currently lead in production?
Organic cotton is not a different variety–it’s a different production system. According to IFOAM-Organics International, “Organic cotton production is a system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems, and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity, and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects.”
Conventional cotton permits the use of a plethora of pesticides as well as synthetic fertilisers and genetically modified seeds. Organic crops are grown without the use of synthetic toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilisers, as well as genetically engineered seed (permitted in most other "preferred fibre" programmes). Third-party certification organisations verify that organic producers meet strict regulations addressing methods and materials allowed in organic production (Textile Exchange, June 23, 2017, Quick Guide to Organic Cotton).
At the moment, demand for organic cotton far outstrips supply: In 2021, Textile Exchange undertook a limited 2021 Organic Cotton Demand Insights Report. The findings indicated an 84 per cent increase in forecasted organic cotton demand by 2030 compared to a 2019/20 baseline.
According to Textile Exchange’s 2021 Organic Cotton Market Report, in the 2019/20 planting cycle organic cotton was grown in the following 21 countries (in order of ranking): India (49.8 per cent), China (12.3 per cent), Kyrgyzstan (11.8 per cent), Turkey (9.7 per cent), Tanzania (4.5 per cent), Tajikistan (4.2 per cent), U.S. (2.8 per cent), Uganda (1.9 per cent), Pakistan (0.8 per cent), Greece (0.7 per cent), Benin (0.6 per cent), Peru (0.3 per cent), Burkina Faso (0.2 per cent), Egypt (0.1 per cent), Uzbekistan (0.1 per cent), Ethiopia (0.1 per cent), Brazil (0.1 per cent), Mali (0.03 per cent), Myanmar (0.01 per cent), Thailand (0.002 per cent), and Senegal (0.001 per cent).
What all standards and certifications Textile Exchange provides for the fashion and textile industry?
Textile Exchange has developed and manages a suite of eight voluntary standards that provide the industry with a way to verify sustainability claims from the raw material to the final product.
The Content Claim Standard (CCS) is a chain of custody standard that is the foundation of all Textile Exchange Standards. The Organic Content Standard (OCS) sets requirements for certified organic inputs. The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) set requirements for certified recycled inputs. The Responsible Down Standard (RDS) sets requirements for certified down and feathers. The Responsible Animal Fiber Standards (RAF) is a set of standards that set requirements for certified animal fibres and include the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS), and the Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS). Along with these eight standards, Textile Exchange is developing the Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) which sets requirements for certified organic latex inputs.
Although Textile Exchange’s standards were written with the textile industry in mind, they can be applied to any supply chain and product if the standard requirements are met.
Does Textile Exchange also provide a common vocabulary and reporting framework for all its participating members?
Yes, we have an online glossary where we define our terms as well as those in the industry.
Is it true that Textile Exchange’s membership reads like a who’s who of the textile industry?
Given the buy-in from industry leaders like H&M, Inditex, Nike, and Lenzing, Textile Exchange is proud to oversee a community of over 700 members dedicated to material change.
Are there any countries/regions that do not recognise Textile Exchange standards?
Our standards are globally applicable, and we don’t exclude certain countries from seeking certification to one of our standards. There might be specific countries that have legal requirements on what you are allowed to say around a standard—the word ‘organic’ is protected in some countries more than others for example.
Which type of companies can apply to get certified to Textile Exchange standards?
All organisations along the fashion and textile supply chain can schedule an audit to get certified against Textile Exchange standards.
What is the new Climate+ strategy announced by Textile Exchange?
The Climate+ strategy, announced in 2019, states that Textile Exchange will drive urgent climate action in the textile fibre and material production (“pre-spin”) phase, with a goal of a 45 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
This strategy establishes climate as a deliberate priority and organisational focus, while the “+” indicates that we will also address other impact areas that are interdependent with climate, such as water, soil health, and biodiversity. We don’t want to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions without thinking about the possible negative and unintended consequences to life on this planet–we need to do so in a way that amplifies positive impacts is well.
The “+” is also an acknowledgment of the importance of partnerships too, recognising that Textile Exchange cannot achieve this new 2030 goal of 45 per cent reduction in GHG emissions from fibre and material production on its own.
Under Climate+, Textile Exchange focuses on four areas—climate, biodiversity, soil health, and water. What exactly is being done in each of these four areas to achieve positive outcomes?
While the most effective interventions will vary by production system, geographic region, and other factors, Textile Exchange believes that regenerative agriculture is one way to broadly drive positive outcomes in all of these impact areas.
Textile Exchange recently published its Regenerative Agriculture Landscape Analysis report to identify the initiatives currently happening within the industry and the key gaps. Our next step is to establish a Regenerative Agriculture “Community of Practice” to convene the industry around taking action to accelerate this movement as well as to address other research needs.
Does Textile Exchange recognise third-party certifications? Can you name a few that are recognised?
Textile Exchange believes that industry standards have a strong role in ensuring the changes along the supply chain as the industry moves towards sustainable practices. Our goals in recognising equivalent standards are to reduce the cost of certification for facilities along the supply chain, to reduce audit fatigue, and to acknowledge standards with shared principles.
Equivalent standards must be stronger or equal to the requirements of our standards. The requirements are not required to be the same but must match in their credibility and desired outcomes.
What percentage of goals under Climate+ have already been achieved?
The initial Climate+ goal of 45 per cent reduction in GHG emissions from fibre and material production was set with a 2030 timeframe, in line with best practice climate modelling such as the Science-Based Targets Initiative. We are exploring additional goals for biodiversity, water, and soil health in partnership with key organisations such as Science-Based Targets for Nature, to ensure that target-setting methodologies are consistent both within our sector and across industries.
It is normally difficult for small and medium enterprises to incorporate sustainability in their manufacturing due to financial constraints. How can Textile Exchange help such companies to go sustainable?
Textile Exchange offers a range of free online resources. Our industry tools include reports, webinars, and more.
We also offer a Friend-level membership for small companies. With this accessible fee, besides receiving the advanced benchmarking report card and a discounted conference ticket, the company can enter into our online membership community called The Hub where material experts interact with industry stakeholders, answering questions about materials, sourcing lower-impact materials, and how to increase their preferred materials portfolio. Networking and exchanging information freely take place here.
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