GRS - Global Recycled Standard
Also known as: Global Recycled Standard
Strict chain-of-custody standard for recycled fibres with additional social, environmental and chemical requirements on all processing stages.
Description
The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) was developed in 2008 by Control Union and has been managed by Textile Exchange since 2011. It is the most demanding standard for recycled textiles, covering three areas: traceability (chain of custody from recycled input to end product), environmental requirements (chemical positive list, energy and water management, wastewater) and social standards (ILO core conventions).
Permitted recycled inputs include pre-consumer recycling (production waste) and post-consumer recycling (used textiles, PET bottles). Two thresholds matter for labelling: a minimum 20 % recycled content is required for a site to be GRS-certified; from 50 % the GRS logo may be visible on the end product. The exact share must be declared.
GRS is the standard of choice for recycled polyester from PET bottles (rPET), recycled cotton from textile waste and recycled wool. For brands that do not need social or chemical requirements, the lighter RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) is available.
Properties
| Issuer | Textile Exchange (since 2011) |
|---|---|
| Scope | >=20 % recycled content + environment + social |
| Label | GRS logo + percentage (visible from 50 %) |
Related product categories
Sources & references
2- Textile Exchange GRS Textile Exchange https://textileexchange.org/global-recycled-standard/
- Wikipedia: Textile recycling Wikipedia — Freie Enzyklopädie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile_recycling
