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AA1000 are a set of three free to use standards that have been developed to improve the accountability, reporting and overall sustainability performance of an...

The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) is a national trade association representing apparel, footwear and other sewn products companies, and their...

AFIRM (the Apparel & Footwear International RSL Management Working Group) is a global organisation providing resources for sustainable, self-governing RSL...

BMP is the Australian cotton industry’s best practise guidelines for growing cotton in harmony with the environment using an audited process with fully traceable supply...

The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety was an agreement designed to make all garment factories in Bangladesh safe workplaces. The Accord agreement included...

In May 2020, the Bangladesh RMG Sustainability Council (RMC) took over all the previous functions of the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building safety which was created...

Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Tanning of Hides and Skins provides a review of the Best Available Technology in the Tanning Industry across...

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is a holistic approach to sustainable cotton production, which covers the three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social and...

Updated in 2019, the bioRe label is operated by Swiss-based Remei Foundation, which defines the standards for bioRe Sustainable Cotton and subsequent bioRe Sustainable...

Focusing on consumer safety and the environment, the Swiss-based bluesign system examines natural resources and chemicals used in textile production, occupational health and...

The Bra Miljöval standard was developed by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) and translates as ‘Good Environmental Choice’ in English. It is reputed to be...

The reference documents on best available techniques (BREF) are a series of documents that reflect an information exchange in the European Union carried out according to...

A framework standard from the British Standards Agency (BSI) for implementing the principles of the circular economy within organisations.

The Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) is a non-profit organisation. It was set up as an initiative of the Foreign Trade Association in response to the debate on...

The Water Quality Guidelines (WQG) are voluntary goals set by the non-profit business association, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR). The goal is to improve...

The Canada Organic Regime is a food based standard, but it’s interesting from a textiles point of view because in June 2009, an ‘equivalency agreement’ was signed...

The Hot Button Ranking scheme, from environmental NGO CanopyStyle, provides an overview of the work undertaken by leading viscose producers to ensure that the raw...

The Guidelines for Environmental Sustainability Communications, from the UK-based Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) are voluntary guidelines developed for public...

Established in 1989, Clean Clothes Campaign is a global network dedicated to improving working conditions and empowering workers in the global garment and sportswear...

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) was enacted by the federal government of the United States of America to “establish consumer product safety...

The Content Claim Standard is a voluntary certification standard that can be used to trace a material through the supply chain. It can be used to back-up content claims for...

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a voluntary, international agreement between participating governments. It...

Cotton Made in Africa is a project based on standards and criteria designed to help the socio-economic development of smallholder cotton farmers in sub-Saharan Africa...

Council Directive 98/58/EC of July 1998 concerns the protection of animals kept for farming purposes and applies to the European region.

On 15th March 2021 Version 4.0 of the Cradle to Cradle standard was released. It assesses product safety to humans and the environment, as well as product design for...

The standard is based on Chinese laws, regulations and relevant international conventions, and was first launched in 2005 by the China National Textile and Apparel...

Launched in October 2022, by Better Cotton and the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), the Delta Framework is a common set of environmental, social and...

Directive 94/11/EC is a legal act of the European Union concerning the labelling of materials used in footwear, including parts sold separately. The European Union has...

The goal of the Downpass standard is to contribute to the ethical sourcing of down and feathers, and to help companies to firmly anchor and further develop the aspects...

The EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) regulation is a management tool for companies and other organisations to evaluate, report and improve their environmental...

Energy Star is a joint voluntary programme of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that aims to help consumers save...

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a verified and registered document that communicates transparent and comparable information about the life-cycle...

The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is a tripartite multi-stakeholder organisation that aims to protect the rights of workers in supply chains and improve labour...

Introduced at the end of 2011, this EU regulation has brought together three previous regulations – directives covering ternary fibre mixtures (73/44/EEC), binary fibre...

The European Ecolabel system allows the products of manufacturers, retailers or service providers to carry the distinctive ‘Flower’ label for marketing purposes...

It is often complicated for small and medium sized businesses to completely comply with environmental legislation and have a comprehensive vision of short and long term...

The EU General Product Safety Directive is a directive provided by the European Commission on the requirements and surveillance of non-food consumer products on the...

The Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) is an initiative from the European Commission to help companies measure the environmental performance of any product...

This regulation was developed to regulate the organic farming sector within and beyond the European Union. The use of the term ‘organic’ with the regulation depends on the...

The European Union’s Thematic Strategy on Prevention and the Recycling of Waste is a long-term strategy which aims to help Europe become a recycling society that avoids...

Established in 1999, the US-based Fair Labor Association (FLA) is a collaborative effort of socially responsible companies, universities, governments, labour rights groups...

When a product is ‘Fair Trade Certified’ it has demonstrated that it meets rigorous social, environmental and economic standards outlined by the initiative’s...

The Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) is a Netherlands-based NGO, which works with companies in the textile industry to improve labour conditions and examines how brands are...

Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO), also known as Fairtrade International, is a non-profit multi-stakeholder organisation which develops and reviews...

The Fairtrade Textile Standard is one component of the greater Fairtrade Textile Programme which aims to facilitate change in textile supply chains and related business...

The Fibershed Program aims to develop regional natural fibre systems that generate lasting prosperity for local economies, global climate, and the health and diversity...

The Forest Stewardship Council is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation established to promote the responsible management of the world’s...

This French law relates to the environmental labelling of waste-generating products for sale on the French domestic market including textiles and...

According to the FTC Recycled Content guidelines, it is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product or package is made of recycled content....

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is a voluntary, certified standard that covers all aspects of the production of all natural fibres of organic status...

The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) addresses input material verification, chain of custody, environmental principles, social requirements, and labelling for textile...

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is a non-profit organisation that promotes economic sustainability and produces one of the world's most prevalent standards for...

Originally developed by outdoor brand Patagonia, the Global Traceable Down Standard focuses on compliance with local legal animal welfare regulations and aims to ensure...

The standard is awarded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to textile manufacturers who have passed certain social and...

The Higg Index, is a suite of sustainability self-assessment tools developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition to assess the manufacturing, brand and product impacts...

The International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry promotes safe workplaces through independent safety inspections, training programmes, and a...

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) campaigns to improve rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen...

Since the last guide was published in 2018, international testing house Intertek has retired its ‘Green Leaf’ environmental marks for consumer goods including recycled...

ISO 14001 is a world wide standard of an environmental management system that assists various types of industry organisations to improve their overall environmental...

BSI (the British Standards Institute) has launched ISO 20400:2017 Sustainable procurement – guidance. Designed to assist organisations to meet their sustainability...

Published in April 2019, this ISO standard relates to the screening of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in cotton and textiles.

IVN is one of four members of the International Working Group for the Global Organic Textiles Standard (GOTS), and also supplies its own standard – the ‘Naturtextil IVN Certified...

LEED, whose name originates from the acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, was launched in March 2000 by the US Green Building...

Made in Green by Oeko-Tex is a traceable label for textiles tested for harmful substances and the use of sustainable production practices and technologies through the...

The National Wool Declaration (NWD) enables woolgrowers to promote their animal welfare practices (i.e. mulesing status) and the Dark and Medullated Fibre Risk (DMFR)...

Nirapon is a self-regulatory body that provides factory building and fire safety monitoring, oversight and reporting services in Bangladesh for its...

The non-profit Nordic ‘Swan’ Ecolabel is a voluntary license designed to help companies make and indicate products to the consumer that are more sustainable. It is the...

Based on the Detox campaign launched by Greenpeace in 2011 (and mothballed in 2019), this tool aims to exclude the 13 potentially hazardous chemicals from textile...

Launched in Fall 2022, Oeko-Tex Responsible Business standard is designed to help brands, retailers and traders in the textile and leather sector with due diligence...

Sustainable Textile Production (STeP) is an Oeko-Tex certification system for brands, retail companies and manufacturers from the textile chain who want to communicate...

The Open Apparel Registry (OAR) is a free-to-use online platform that maps the whereabouts and performances of garment manufacturing facilities around the world. It...

The Organic Content Standard (OCS) is a voluntary standard from Textile Exchange for tracking and verifying the content of organically grown materials in a final...

The production and processing of organic textiles sold on the Japanese market is regulated in the Japanese Agriculture Standard (JAS). These certified goods are...

The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) provides assurances that forests are managed in line with international environmental requirements,...

Previously in the Textile Standards & Legislation Guide we featured ISO/TS 14067:2013. This has now been superseded by this later version, which was revised in late...

The regenagri standard criteria claims to look holistically at the entire farming operation, considering the different management strategies and practises used, and...

Regenerative Organic Certified was established in 2017 by a group of farmers, business leaders, and experts in soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness...

The Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS) is an international, voluntary standard that ensures alpaca wool is responsibly sourced from farmers with high animal welfare...

This standard focuses on compliance with local legal animal welfare regulations and aims to ensure that the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) does not come from farms...

Launched in March 2020, the new Responsible Mohair Standard is based on the same system as the Responsible Wool Standard and monitors animal welfare practices at farm...

SA8000 is a widely recognised social certification standard that ensures decent labour conditions and protects the basic human rights of employees across all industrial...

The Science Based Targets initiative champions science-based target setting as a powerful way of boosting companies’ competitive advantage in the transition to a...

Superior Energy Performance  is a certification program from the U.S. Council for Energy-Efficient Manufacturing that provides industrial facilities with a roadmap for...

The Sustainable Fibre Program (SFP) claims to look heavily at local and regional concepts of sustainability, in line with the global definition of social, economic and...

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) is an industry working group dedicated to a more robust environmental vision for packaging. Through member support, an...

The Green Mark Program was launched in 1992 by Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration as a voluntary eco-labelling program and published its latest revision in...

Essentially, this framework aims to make products placed on the EU market 'more sustainable'.  It claims that consumers, the environment and the climate will benefit...

The Good Cashmere Standard (GCS) is an independent standard for sustainable cashmere, developed by the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF), that aims to improve the welfare...

A label of the Chargeurs Group, Nativa sets a standard for stakeholders within the merino sheep industry and supply chain to meet if they’re to demonstrate a commitment to...

The Soil Association organic standard for textiles is another label which has adopted the GOTS criteria. It has avery high degree of consumer recognition in the UK...

The World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), founded in 2000, is the flagship programme of UN-Water. Housed in UNESCO, WWAP monitors freshwater issues in order to...

Launched in 2015, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal set of goals, targets and indicators that UN member states will be expected to use to...

The United States Department of Agriculture administers the BioPreferred Program, which was created by the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (FSRIA or 2002 Farm...

Launched in 2011 as the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Group (ZDHC), this initiative has shifted away from a focus on testing final product, to managing input...

Launched in October 2022 by Eurofins, the ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ certification service aims to support company-wide commitments on zero waste and reduce the amount of...

ZQ is a merino wool certification that looks at animal welfare and environmental standards. It has been developed and owned by The New Zealand Merino Company Ltd. ZQ is...