Glossary

Accreditation is a process undertaken by an authorised private or governmental agency which is allowed to conduct certification activities as a certifying agent (usually for organic textiles or more recently textiles made from recycled raw materials).

APEO's (Alkylphenolethoxylates) are heavily restricted surfactants that are known to be toxic to aquatic organisms. They are often used to scour textiles such as in wool processing.

To Audit, is to examine, verify, inspect or correct the manufacturing supply chain, or parts thereof, as part of a periodic (usually annual) examination of a company’s certification.

An audit trail is documentation that can determine the source, transfer of ownership, and transportation of any textile product labelled as organic or otherwise.