By Shubham Thakur

Preface to Sustainable Materials

Over the years, sustainability has come to be one of the most discussed subject areas in the textile and apparel industry. However, a clear definition of sustainability has stayed elusive to a majority of laymen involved in the industry. When it comes to the fibres and materials being used, it might be more relatable to consider the fact that in most instances, sustainable materials are, in reality, “preferred” materials. The preference can depend on a large number of factors, which may have embedded in them certain sustainable practices, sustainable concepts, sustainable techniques, or more than one of these.

As examples of the above, one might consider organic cotton as a preferred material, which includes sustainable farming practices. One might also consider recycled polyester, which is a result of sustainable concept. On the other hand, it might also be considered that certain man-made cellulosic fibres like lyocell are manufactured by using sustainable techniques. Thus, these materials could be arguably considered as preferred materials. It is interesting to note in this regard that the term ‘preferred’ materials would have a more prominent impact on the understanding and implementation if it is attributed as a comparative term instead of an absolute term. This means that when a certain fibre or material is said to be ‘preferred’, it could always be implied that it is preferred “in comparison to” certain other variations of the same fibre or material.

Thus, rephrasing the examples from above, organic cotton would be considered as a preferred material in comparison to conventional cotton, recycled polyester would be considered a preferred material in comparison to conventional polyester, lyocell might be considered a preferred material in comparison to other man-made cellulosic fibres like viscose, and so on.

This write-up will attempt to provide a fundamental guide to certified materials in the textile and apparel sector following a holistic definition of the standards and materials.

A major part of every standard and/or certification deals with the chain of custody of the material. Chain of custody tracks fibres at every stage of their journey. It ensures that claims about the fibre content in a final product, such as “organically grown” or “recycled”, are accurate. It is important because raw materials often travel all around the world to be spun, dyed, woven, cut and sewn ^[1]. Third-party certifications and standards like the ones mentioned further in this write-up help to ensure that all necessary measures have been taken to ensure that what goes in, comes out.

Organic Materials and Certifications

Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) explains organic fibres as derived from organic agriculture, a regulated and certified method for sustainable land management ^[2].

In simple terms, a material can be considered organic if it has been credited or certified to have been naturally produced in accordance with organic farming practices, which avoids the use of synthetic pesticides and herbicides, and GMOs, according to the principles of organic agriculture. Organic agriculture is a production process that sustains the health of ecosystems, soils and people ^[3]. This also conversely implies that if any material is naturally produced as a direct result of farming, there is a possibility that it can be credited or certified as organic material.

In this sense, this concept is inapplicable for fibres which are derived from farmed materials by subsequent chemical processes (example: viscose).

In the textile and apparel industry, the following fibres are, in general, a product of farming:

1. Cotton
2. Wool
3. Silk
4. Flax
5. Jute

While there are other fibres as well, which are a direct result of farming, the above are among the most well-known fibre crops.

Going by the aforementioned general definition, all of the above fibres can be produced using organic farming practices and can hence be covered under the scope of the available certification standards. Currently, the most common organic certifications available for textiles and apparels are as follows:

1. Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
2. Organic Content Standard (OCS)
3. Oeko-Tex Organic Cotton

Among the above standards, while Oeko-Tex Organic is presently certifying only cotton as per their standard requirements, the other standards have a broader coverage and include other fibres under their scope as well.

While there are differences in scope and requirements in terms of facilities and product composition, all of the above standards maintain a mass-balance-based chain of custody model, where the custody of the organic material is transferred from one tier of the value chain to another together with a document known as a transaction certificate (TC) which contains details of the transaction including the volume of the material transferred. The volumes of transactions eventually accumulate at the end of the retailer who eventually reports it to the standards annually, thus culminating in a complete account of the material passing through the value chain.

Recycled Materials and Certifications

On a fundamental level, any fibre which has been derived from a previously existing fibre or polymer with independent usage, without altering its fundamental polymeric identity, can be termed as a recycled fibre in terms of textiles and apparels. Thus, recycled fibres might even have a natural origin (as in recycled cotton, recycled wool, etc.) or a synthetic origin (recycled polyester, recycled polyamide, etc.).

On a different note, ISO 14021 defines recycled content as the proportion of recycled material in a product or packaging by mass. It also specifies requirements for self-declared environmental claims for products ^[7].

The standards most widely recognised at present to cover recycled materials in the textile and apparel sector are as follows:

1. Global Recycled Standard (GRS)
2. Recycled Claim Standard (RCS)

Both the above standards, owned by Textile Exchange, are international voluntary standards that set requirements for third-party certification of recycled input and chain of custody (also social and environmental practices, and chemical restrictions in case of GRS), and insist on the increase of the use of recycled materials in products among their primary goals ^[10]. Both standards above include the presence of pre-consumer as well as post-consumer recycled materials in their scope.

These standards maintain chain of custody in the same procedure as the organic standards mentioned earlier, with the use of transaction certificates between tiers of the value chain. Thus, for every transaction between tiers of the value chain, a transaction certificate is issued from the seller to the buyer of the material at that stage, and the total volume accumulates with the final retailer.

Other Certifications and/or Other Preferred Materials

While the above standards and certifications cover a reasonable proportion of preferred materials, there are other standards and initiatives as well, which cover more fibres under the scope of their respective umbrella.

Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)

Better Cotton Initiative is a global initiative which promotes traceability for cotton and responsible sustenance for cotton farmers. Their traceability system employs a mass-balance model, wherein 1 kg of physical cotton lint is converted into 1 BCCU (Better Cotton Claim Unit) in a parallel virtual system. Each BCCU is to travel through the supply chain beginning from the ginner and ending at the retailer/brand, where it is accumulated until annual reporting.

Wool, Mohair, Alpaca and Down

Textile Exchange owns standards for Wool (Responsible Wool Standard – RWS), Mohair (Responsible Mohair Standard – RMS), Alpaca wool (Responsible Alpaca Standard – RAS) and Down (Responsible Down Standard – RDS).

Textile Exchange summarises the goal of RMS, RWS and RAS as “setting criteria for progressive practices that are better for animals and the land,” ^[13] and for that of RDS as “setting criteria for progressive practices that are better for ducks and geese” ^[14].

The methodology of the chain of custody in these standards is fundamentally the same as the other Textile Exchange standards mentioned earlier, GRS, RCS, OCS, etc., using transaction certificates (TCs) across the value chain.

It is worth mentioning that Textile Exchange is presently working on further streamlining and strengthening their standards and processes. As a consequence, a majority of the standards owned by Textile Exchange are to be brought under a single umbrella of a unified standard framework presently being termed as “Materials Matter Standard”, which was scheduled to be published in mid-2025 ^[15].

Conclusion

The textile and apparel industry is rich with technical knowledge with regard to manufacturing, materials and processes. However, as the scenario of sustainability and preferred materials is extremely dynamic, one can often find oneself at depths which can seem unfathomable. However, the standards, while a multitude of them are available, are much simpler to navigate once the names and basic concepts are familiar to us. It is thus imperative for the stakeholders in the industry, however small their stake might be, to familiarize themselves with the relevant standards of at least their own products, and to keep themselves informed about the necessary changes. While this summary is clearly not exhaustive, it aims to provide a fundamental knowledge of the working industry standards for preferred raw materials, and the reference materials might be useful for seekers of more in-depth knowledge.

Together with the knowledge and the zeal, one can attain a state of making informed decisions for their products, and doing right by their stakeholders, be it their own employees, their immediate supply chain partners, or the future generations.

References

1. Textile Exchange – Chain of Custody
2. GOTS – Organic Fibres
3. Behind the Seams – Meet GOTS
4. GOTS – Certification and Labelling
5. Organic Content Standard (OCS) 101, Version 3.0 (PDF)
6. OEKO-TEX Labelling Guide (PDF)
7. ISO 14021 – Environmental Labels and Declarations
8. Textile Exchange – Quick Guide to RCS and GRS (PDF)
9. Better Cotton – 2023–24 Annual Report (PDF)
10. Textile Exchange – Standards Logo Use Specifications (PDF)
11. Responsible Wool Standard (RWS)
12. Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS)
13. Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS)
14. Responsible Down Standard (RDS)
15. Textile Exchange – Materials Matter Standard Pilot