Global Recycled Standard
Recycled Content for both finished and intermediate products
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Inna Kitaychik
What is The Global Recycled Standard?
The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) is a voluntary product standard for tracking and verifying the content of recycled materials in a final product. The standard applies to the full supply chain and addresses traceability, environmental principles, social requirements, chemical content and labeling. GRS covers processing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, trading and distribution of all products made with a minimum of 20% recycled material. It also sets requirements for third-party certification of recycled content, chain of custody, social and environmental practices, and chemical restrictions.
The standard supports companies looking to verify the recycled content of their products as well as responsible social, environmental and chemical practices in the production of these products. Although the GRS is owned by Textile Exchange, the range of products is not limited to textiles and can include any type of product containing recycled content materials.
The desired effect of GRS is to provide brands with a tool for more accurate labeling, to encourage innovation in the use of reclaimed materials, to establish more transparency in the supply chain, and to provide better information to consumers.
The goal of GRS is to increase use of Recycled materials in products and reduce or eliminate the harm caused by its production.
Why Choose SCS?
SCS Global Services is a globally recognized, third-party certifier of recycled content claims. SCS Global Services has been a global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, testing, and standards development for more than three decades.
- Eligibility
- Benefits
- Process
- Program Documents
Companies in ginning, spinning, weaving and knitting, dyeing and printing, and cut and sew are eligible for certification.
Certification Features
- Recycled Polymer Materials - Contains a minimum of 20% recycled content
- Ethical - Avoids questionable or unethical sources
- Labor Protections - Ensures that workers are treated fairly according to internationally recognized (ILO) labor standards
- Supply Chain Management - Introduces supply chain risk management tools to improve sourcing strategies and prevent destructive environmental practices
- Environmental Impact Assessment - examines the environmental impacts associated with product manufacturing
- Chain of Custody – Transaction certificates follow the material through the supply chain
Complementary SCS Services
SCS provides a full spectrum of environmental and sustainability certification services. Complementary services include: Recycled Claim Standard, Certified Responsible Source™ Textiles, SCS Recycled Content Certification, and Alliance for Water Stewardship Certification.
Certification for GRS benefits you, your customers, and other stakeholders, by demonstrating:
- Alignment of definitions across multiple applications.
- Tracking and tracing Recycled input materials.
- Providing customers (both brands and consumers) with a tool to make informed decisions.
- Reducing harmful impact of production to people and the environment.
- Providing assurance that materials in the final product are actually Recycled and processed more sustainably.
- Driving innovation in addressing quality issues in the use of Recycled materials.
- Apply for Certification
Complete and submit an SCS Application Form. SCS will scope the project based on information provided in the application and will prepare a proposal for your approval with suggested timeline and quote. Once you approve the proposal, you will sign a Work Order and an account manager will be assigned to guide you through the certification process. - Data Collection
An SCS technical coordinator will help you assemble preliminary data which will be submitted to SCS. SCS will review the product data, corporate documentation, manufacturing process, product formulation, testing, etc, and assess your readiness for an audit. - Audit
SCS will conduct the certification audit, which will include an on-site inspection of your facility. The auditor will interact with your technical staff to clarify and obtain any additional information that might prove essential to reaching an accurate supportable evaluation. - Draft Assessment Report
The auditor will write a draft assessment report that details the findings of the audit, which will include data analysis, non-conformities, and opportunities for improvement. - Internal peer review
Another qualified SCS auditor will review the report, making any necessary corrections or changes before the report is sent to the client. - Corrective Actions
You will need to respond to any non-conformities with a corrective action plan. You may also make comments and responses to the information contained in the report and the conclusions drawn by the auditor. - Make Certification Decision
SCS will conduct a final technical review of the assessment report and make the final certification decision. SCS can also provide client marketing support. - Receive Certificate
If certification is granted, SCS will issue the certificate and final report to your facility or operation. Once certified, your company will receive a certificate and logos and is listed in the Green Products Certificate Database on the SCS website. 8. Certification Maintenance and Renewal SCS requires annual surveillance audits to maintain your certification.
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