Textile Exchange Preferred Fiber
Also known as: Preferred fibre, Preferred Fiber & Materials, PFM, Textile Exchange preferred
Framework of the non-profit Textile Exchange that classifies fibres and materials with demonstrably lower environmental and social impact as “preferred”.
Description
Textile Exchange is an international non-profit founded in 2002 and headquartered in the USA. Its Preferred Fiber & Materials (PFM) framework rates fibres against measurable environmental and social criteria — greenhouse gases, water and chemical use, land use, biodiversity, animal welfare and labour conditions. Materials classified as “preferred” include recycled fibres (rPET, rNylon, recycled cotton), certified organic cotton, responsible wool (RWS), mohair (RMS), alpaca (RAS) and tencel-type cellulose from certified forestry.
Textile Exchange develops and maintains its own standards including the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS), Global Recycled Standard (GRS), Organic Content Standard (OCS), Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) and Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS). Its annual Materials Market Report is the reference for global fibre split data.
- “Preferred” is a classification framework, not a binary certificate
- Key input for collection-level reporting and ESG metrics
- Complements chemical standards such as OEKO-TEX or bluesign
Properties
| Issuer | Textile Exchange (non-profit, founded 2002, USA) |
|---|---|
| Scope | Classification of fibres with demonstrably lower impact |
| Related standards | RCS, GRS, OCS, RWS, RMS, RAS |
Related product categories
Sources & references
2- Textile Exchange – Standards Textile Exchange https://textileexchange.org/standards/
- Textile Exchange – Preferred Fiber & Materials Textile Exchange https://textileexchange.org/preferred-fiber-and-materials/
