Sustainability certifications: what each one certifies
RCS and GRS verify recycled content and chain of custody. GOTS covers organic fibre and the full processing chain. OEKO-TEX tests for harmful substances and is not a sustainability standard. FSC concerns wood and paper. The gaps between them are where vague claims live.
Short answer: RCS and GRS verify recycled content and chain of custody. GOTS certifies organic fibre content plus environmental and social criteria across processing. OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 tests for harmful substances and is explicitly not a sustainability standard. FSC concerns the sourcing of wood and paper. Each certifies one specific thing, and the gaps between them are where vague claims usually live.
Certification logos appear on almost every branded product now. They are not decoration, and they are not interchangeable. Each answers a narrow question, and knowing which question is the difference between a claim you can defend and one you cannot.
This guide covers the five you are most likely to encounter on corporate merchandise.
RCS and GRS: recycled content
Who runs them: Textile Exchange, a non-profit organisation.
What they certify: That recycled material is genuinely present in a product and can be traced through the supply chain. Materials are verified against the ISO definition of “recycled”. Both pre-consumer and post-consumer material is accepted.
The difference between the two: The Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) verifies recycled content and chain of custody. The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) does the same, and adds social and environmental requirements related to processing, plus restrictions on chemicals with harmful potential.
The thresholds, which cause confusion:
| RCS | GRS | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum recycled content | 5% | 20% for business-to-business use |
| For consumer-facing labelling | RCS Blended: 5–95%. RCS 100: 95–100% | 50% minimum |
| Social and environmental processing requirements | No | Yes |
| Chemical restrictions | No | Yes |
Textile Exchange addresses the 20% versus 50% question directly in its own FAQ: the GRS can be used as a business-to-business tool for products containing at least 20% recycled content, but consumer-facing labelling requires at least 50%.
What this means in practice: An RCS certificate on its own tells you recycled material is present and traceable. It does not tell you how much. Always ask for the percentage, and note the basis of calculation, typically total item weight.
Coming change worth knowing: Textile Exchange is consolidating its standards into a single Materials Matter Standard. The criteria were released on 12 December 2025. The standard becomes effective on 31 December 2026 and mandatory from 31 December 2027, at which point certified organisations will need to audit to the new standard to maintain certification.
GOTS: organic fibre, plus processing
Who runs it: Global Standard gGmbH, established in 2006 by four organisations including the Organic Trade Association (USA), IVN (Germany), Soil Association (UK) and JOCA (Japan).
What it certifies: Organic fibre content, and compliance with environmental and social criteria at every processing stage from fibre to finished product.
The two label grades:
- GOTS `organic`: minimum 95% certified organic fibres
- GOTS `made with organic materials`: minimum 70% certified organic fibres
Organic fibres entering the GOTS chain must be certified to one of the IFOAM Family of Standards, meaning grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides or GMOs.
What makes it broader than most: GOTS requires certification at every processing stage, not just the fibre. It restricts chemical inputs against a positive list, prohibits substances including formaldehyde, carcinogenic azo dyes and toxic heavy metals, mandates functioning wastewater treatment for wet processing units, and requires compliance with social criteria based on International Labour Organization norms.
The distinction that matters: “Organic cotton” on a product description is not the same as GOTS certification. The first can refer only to how the fibre was farmed. GOTS extends the requirements through spinning, dyeing, finishing and manufacturing.
OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100: harmful substances
Who runs it: The OEKO-TEX Association, through member institutes including Hohenstein.
What it certifies: That a textile product, including every thread, button and accessory, has been tested against a catalogue of over 1,000 substances harmful to human health, and passed.
How the testing works: Requirements are based on intended use and skin contact. Product Class 1, for babies and children up to three years, carries the strictest limits. Class 2 covers products with direct skin contact. The more intensive the skin contact, the stricter the requirement.
The point most often misread: OEKO-TEX itself is explicit that STANDARD 100 is not a sustainability standard. The Hohenstein FAQ states that although limiting chemicals can have a positive effect on chemical management, STANDARD 100 is not a sustainability standard or claim, and directs anyone seeking a sustainability claim to the separate MADE IN GREEN certification.
What it is genuinely useful for: Product safety and legal conformity. The criteria catalogue incorporates regulations including REACH Annexes XIV and XVII, US CPSIA and the EU POPs regulation. Many retailers base their Restricted Substances Lists on it and accept it in place of additional testing.
Certificate verification: Every certified product carries a certificate number, checkable through the OEKO-TEX Label Check. A product claiming certification with no number is a warning sign.
FSC: wood and paper sourcing
Who runs it: The Forest Stewardship Council.
What it certifies: That wood or paper-based material comes from responsibly managed forests, recycled sources, or verified low-risk controlled sources.
The three labels, which are not equivalent:
- FSC 100%: all wood or wood-fibre components come from FSC-certified forests.
- FSC Mix: components result from a blend of FSC material, recycled material and/or FSC-controlled wood. Products carrying this label use a minimum of 70% FSC inputs.
- FSC Recycled: all wood or wood-fibre components are from 100% recycled material.
Why the Recycled label carries weight: FSC notes that unlike general “recycled” claims, which require no verification, the FSC Recycled label provides assurance that all wood or paper in a product has been verified as genuinely recycled.
Where it applies on merchandise: Notebook covers and pages, kraft gift boxes, paper packaging, wooden items. It says nothing about how the item was manufactured after the material was sourced.
Licence codes: FSC labels carry a licence code in the format FSC-C123456, unique to the certified organisation and searchable.
Reading a product sheet: a worked example
Four certifications recur on corporate merchandise, and each of them attests to something different. RCS and GRS cover recycled content and its chain of custody: RCS requires a minimum content of 5 %, GRS 50 % for consumer-facing labelling, along with social and environmental requirements on processing. GOTS covers organic fibre and the whole processing chain: 95 % certified fibre for the organic grade, 70 % for made with organic materials. OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 tests for the absence of harmful substances, thread and accessories included, and is not a sustainability standard — the body says so itself. FSC concerns the origin of wood and paper. Not one of them certifies that a product is “eco-friendly”: they certify precise facts, and it is in the gap between those facts and the word chosen that most vague claims make their home.
Consider a real specification of the type you will see in a supplier catalogue:
“Made with RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) certified recycled materials. RCS certification ensures a completely certified supply chain of the recycled materials. Total recycled content: 75% based on total item weight. Including FSC-certified kraft packaging.”
What this actually tells you:
- Recycled content is present, verified, and traceable through the chain of custody. RCS covers this.
- The figure is 75%, calculated on total item weight. This is a specific, usable claim.
- The packaging is separately certified for its paper sourcing. FSC covers this, and only this.
What it does not tell you:
- Anything about processing conditions, chemical use or labour standards at the manufacturing sites. RCS does not cover these. GRS would.
- Anything about the remaining 25% of the item.
- Anything about the product’s overall environmental footprint.
That is not a criticism of the product. It is an accurate reading of what has been certified, which is exactly what a defensible claim requires.
Frequently asked questions
Which certification is the strongest? The question does not have an answer, because they cover different subjects. For recycled content with processing conditions included, GRS is broader than RCS. For organic textiles, GOTS is the most comprehensive because it covers the full processing chain. For chemical safety, OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 is the reference. For paper and wood, FSC.
Does OEKO-TEX certification mean a product is sustainable? No, and OEKO-TEX says so itself. STANDARD 100 is a human-ecological safety certification, not a sustainability standard.
If a product is GRS certified, is it also RCS certified? Not automatically. Textile Exchange confirms that GRS certification does not automatically include RCS, though it can usually be added without a further audit because GRS requirements cover those of RCS.
What is AWARE™? AWARE™ is a proprietary tracer technology used by some suppliers to physically verify the presence of recycled material and provide product-level traceability. It is a verification technology rather than a certification standard in the sense used above, and is typically found alongside a standard such as RCS or GRS rather than in place of one.
How do I check a certificate is real? Textile Exchange, FSC and OEKO-TEX all operate public verification databases. Ask your supplier for the certificate number.
Sources
- Textile Exchange, Recycled Claim Standard and Global Recycled Standard, including FAQ on minimum content percentages and the Materials Matter Standard transition timeline
- Global Standard, GOTS key features and label grades
- Organic Trade Association, Global Organic Textile Standard
- OEKO-TEX, STANDARD 100 and product classes
- Hohenstein, OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 FAQ, on STANDARD 100 not being a sustainability standard
- Forest Stewardship Council, “What do the FSC labels mean?”
- FSC Belgium, “Les 3 labels FSC”, including the 70% minimum for FSC Mix
Last reviewed: August 2026. Certification criteria change; verify current requirements with the certifying body before relying on this information for a specific claim.