Does Recycled Cotton Automatically Qualify for GRS Certification?

You source recycled cotton, feeling good about lowering waste. But then comes the tricky part: certification labels¹.

No, recycled cotton itself does not automatically get GRS or any other certification. GRS certification is given only after every step in the supply chain handling the material is checked and approved by an official third party.

At regenFabrics, we live and breathe recycled fabrics. My name is Leo, and as Sales Manager, I work with brands every day who want to make truly sustainable choices, like using recycled cotton in their T-shirts or hoodies. A question I hear often is about certification – does buying recycled material mean it is automatically certified by GRS? I understand why this is confusing. It seems logical that using recycled stuff should just count, right? But certification is more complex. It is about proving every step. Let's walk through what GRS means for recycled cotton and why the whole supply chain matters.

What is the difference between recycled cotton and organic cotton?

Recycled cotton and organic cotton are both better for the planet than regular cotton, but they are very different. What makes them stand apart?

Recycled cotton comes from waste materials and saves resources like water and land. Organic cotton is grown from new plants without harmful chemicals but still uses land and water. They use different certifications.

Understanding the difference between recycled cotton and organic cotton is important for brands choosing sustainable materials. They both aim to lower the environmental effect of cotton production, but they do it in different ways and start from different points. Recycled cotton is made by taking cotton waste – either from factories making textiles (pre-consumer waste) or from old clothes thrown away by people (post-consumer waste) – and turning it back into fibers. This process usually involves mechanical steps like shredding and opening the fabric. The main good points of recycled cotton are that it saves water, land, and energy that would be used to grow new cotton. It gives a new life to waste material. However, the mechanical process can make the cotton fibers shorter and sometimes weaker. This means fabrics made with higher amounts of recycled cotton might not be as strong or soft as those made with new cotton, unless they are blended with other fibers. Recycled cotton relies on certifications like the Recycled Content Standard (RCS)² or the Global Recycled Standard (GRS)³ to check the amount of recycled material in a product and ensure responsible handling. Organic cotton, on the other hand, is grown from new cotton plants. The key difference from regular cotton is how it is grown. Organic cotton farming does not use man-made pesticides or fertilizers. It focuses on healthy soil and uses natural ways to control pests. This is better for the environment and the health of farmers. Organic cotton keeps its natural fiber length and quality because it is picked from new plants. However, even organic cotton farming still needs farm land and a lot of water, though often less than regular cotton depending on how it is grown and where. Organic cotton can get certifications like GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) or OCS (Organic Content Standard) to show it meets organic farming rules and environmental/social standards in processing. So, while both recycled cotton and organic cotton are better choices for sustainability, recycled cotton focuses on using waste and saving resources, often affecting fiber length, while organic cotton focuses on cleaner farming methods for new fibers, keeping fiber quality high but still needing farming resources.

What is the minimum recycled content for GRS?

If your fabric has recycled cotton, how much of it must be recycled for the product to be called GRS certified? There are different levels for this standard.

To get GRS certification for a product, it must have at least 20% recycled material at the business level. However, to use the GRS logo on the product for shoppers to see, it must contain 50% or more recycled content.

The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) has clear rules about how much recycled material a product needs to have to be certified. It is not enough to just have a small amount. The standard wants to ensure that products making GRS claims have a meaningful amount of recycled content. For a product to be GRS certified at the business-to-business level – meaning the certificate is for companies trading with each other – it must contain a minimum of 20% recycled content. This recycled content can be from pre-consumer or post-consumer waste. This 20% level allows materials like yarn or fabric to be certified within the supply chain. However, if a brand wants to put the GRS logo or make a "GRS certified" claim directly on the final product that a shopper buys, the rules are stricter. To use the consumer-facing GRS logo or make claims like "GRS Certified [Product Type]" or "Made with GRS Certified Recycled Content" on the product itself or in marketing that targets the end consumer, the product must contain 50% or more recycled content. This higher threshold for consumer labeling helps make sure that when shoppers see the GRS logo, the product has a significant amount of recycled material. It also helps prevent brands from putting a GRS logo on a product with only a tiny amount of recycled content just for marketing purposes. For us at regenFabrics, we specialize in blends like TC and CVC using recycled cotton and recycled polyester (rPET). Our fabrics often have recycled content percentages like 50%, 60%, or more. Because we use GRS certified recycled materials and our factory follows GRS standards, the fabrics we supply can meet the requirements for brands to use the GRS logo on their final products, provided the total recycled content in the final item (including things like thread or labels) also meets the 50% minimum. Understanding these different minimums – 20% for B2B certification and 50% for consumer-facing labeling – is very important for brands planning their recycled content and marketing strategies.

What is the difference between GRS and RCS certification?

GRS and RCS are both certifications for recycled content. But are they the same? No, they cover different things.

GRS (Global Recycled Standard) is a full certification that checks recycled content, social rules, environmental rules, and chemical use. RCS (Recycled Content Standard) is a simpler certification that only checks the amount of recycled material.

Brands looking into recycled materials will often see both GRS and RCS certifications mentioned. While both standards are managed by Textile Exchange and check for recycled content, they are not the same. GRS is a much broader and stricter standard than RCS. Think of RCS as just checking one thing: is the recycled material really there, and how much of it is in the product? It follows the recycled material from the source (the waste) through the supply chain to the final product. This tracking is called "chain of custody," and both GRS and RCS do this. However, RCS stops there. GRS goes much further. Besides checking the recycled content (with a 20% minimum for B2B and 50% for consumer labeling), GRS also has strong rules about how the factories operate. These include:

• Social Requirements: Rules about fair labor practices, safe working conditions, no child labor, etc. Factories must meet basic international labor standards.
• Environmental Requirements: Rules about managing water and energy use, controlling waste and emissions, and preventing pollution.
• Chemical Management: Rules about the use of harmful chemicals in the production process. Certain chemicals are restricted or banned under GRS.

RCS does not include these social, environmental, or chemical rules. Its only focus is on verifying the recycled content amount and tracking it. This makes GRS the more complete standard for sustainability. It not only tells you that the material is recycled but also that it was processed in a way that is better for people and the planet. RCS is simpler and might be easier for companies to adopt if their main goal is just to prove recycled content percentage. But for brands aiming for a higher level of sustainability and looking for a certification that covers more aspects of responsible production, GRS is the standard to choose. For us at regenFabrics, we focus on GRS certification for our recycled fabrics because we are committed to not just using recycled materials but also ensuring our production meets high social and environmental standards. This table shows the main differences:

Feature	GRS	RCS
Minimum Recycled Content	20% (50% for on-product logo)	5%
Chain-of-Custody Tracking	Yes	Yes
Social & Environmental Audits	Yes (mandatory)	No
Chemical Restrictions	Yes	No

GRS is the more complete sustainability standard, while RCS is a simpler claim about recycled content.

How to get GRS certified?

Getting GRS certified is not a one-step process. It involves several stages for every company in the supply chain that touches the recycled material. How does a company get this certification?

To get GRS certified, a company must apply to an approved certification body, allow site audits to check recycled content tracking, environmental and social practices, and chemical use, fix any issues found, and pass yearly checks to keep the certification.

Getting GRS certified is a process that shows a company meets the standard's rules. It is not just about having recycled material. Every company that handles the recycled material, starting from where the waste is collected and processed, through spinning, weaving or knitting, dyeing, finishing, and even to the brand or seller, needs to be certified. This ensures the chain of custody is unbroken and that social and environmental rules are followed at each step. Here are the basic steps a company needs to take:

1. Choose a Certification Body: You must work with a certification body that is approved by Textile Exchange to audit against the GRS standard. Textile Exchange provides a list of these approved bodies on their website.
2. Apply for Certification: The company needs to send an application to the chosen certification body⁴. This application includes details about the company, the products they make with recycled content, maps of their process, and showing they are ready to follow GRS rules.
3. Site Audit: An auditor from the certification body will visit the company's site. During the audit, they will check records related to where the recycled material comes from and how much is used. They will also check the company's practices related to the environment (like water and energy use, waste), social aspects (like worker safety and rights), and how chemicals are managed.
4. Fix Findings (Non-Conformities): If the auditor finds anything that does not meet GRS rules (called non-conformities), the company must fix these issues within a certain time given by the auditor.
5. Receive Certificate: Once all rules are met and any issues are fixed, the company gets a Scope Certificate. This certificate shows they are GRS certified and lists the products or processes covered. The Scope Certificate⁵ is valid for one year.
6. Annual Checks: To keep the GRS certification active, companies must have a check-up audit each year (surveillance audit) and go through the full recertification process regularly.

This process shows that recycled cotton only gets real market trust when it goes through a supply chain where each step is GRS-compliant. If your factory, like regenFabrics, is GRS certified for its part, it is very important to make sure the companies you buy the recycled materials from (like those who collect waste or spin the recycled yarn) are also GRS certified. If your upstream suppliers are not certified, even if your fabric is made with recycled cotton and your factory meets many GRS rules, your final fabric cannot legally carry the GRS seal. Today, buyers increasingly want that third-party proof like GRS to be sure about sustainability claims.

Conclusion

Recycled cotton is not automatically GRS certified. Every step must be verified through audits to gain certification, ensuring material integrity and responsible production practices.

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Quick Guide to the RCS and GRS