Textile Exchange Releases "TE Recycled Claim Standard"
Lubbock, Texas (PRWEB) October 04, 2013 -- Textile Exchange (TE) is proud to announce the release of its new Recycled Claim Standard (RCS). Developed with the invaluable input of the Materials Traceability Working Group (MTWG, a joint Outdoor Industry Association-TE initiative), this standard will be an important tool for companies carrying any products with recycled content.
The RCS provides companies with a tool to ensure that final products are labeled with accurate recycled content amounts. The Standard includes two elements to provide this assurance:
• Input materials are checked by qualified certification bodies to make sure they are actually reclaimed from the waste stream. For this, the RCS relies on internationally accepted definitions of “reclaimed” and “recycled” from the International Standards Organization (ISO).
• In addition, these independent parties also check each facility and each shipment from the recycling onto the final production stage to make sure that recycled goods are kept separate from virgin materials and labeled properly before moving on to the next step. Tracking materials by a third-party provides external accountability to common product claims, such as “made with recycled polyester”.
The RCS can be used in any industry, and for any reclaimed material. The Standard provides for more accurate product labeling, establishes more transparency in the supply chain, and provides better information to consumers.
The chain of custody requirements are built upon TE’s Content Claim Standard (CCS), which sets the requirements for maintaining the identity of any raw material through each production step to a final product. The Content Claim Standard can be used to verify any material content of any final product, such as the titanium content of ski poles or the non-mulesed wool in a sweater.
Textile Exchange partnered with OIA to have the RCS reviewed from a variety of stakeholders via the MTWG. The MTWG is co-led by TE and OIA and is a subset of OIA’s broader Sustainability Working Group.
The MTWG is also exploring a similar approach with other materials categories relevant to the outdoor industry and broader apparel and footwear industries, including wool and down. TE’s Organic Content Standard was developed in partnership with OIA’s MTWG and released earlier this year. Participation in the MTWG and these efforts are open to everyone in the industry. Beth Jensen with Outdoor Industry Association can be contacted at bjensen(at)outdoorindustry(dot)org.
The RCS is now open to certification bodies for approval, after which companies may begin the process of third-party certification to the standard. The Standard, Implementation Manual and additional information are available at: http://textileexchange.org/RCS.
ABOUT TEXTILE EXCHANGE
Textile Exchange is a membership-based non-profit dedicated to accelerating sustainable practices in the textile industry. We envision a textile industry that protects and restores the environment and enhances lives. The Industry Integrity team’s work in standards and certification is foundational to the work of Textile Exchange. Other TE standards include the Content Claim Standard, the Organic Content Standard, and the Global Recycle Standard.
Donna Worley, Textile Exchange, http://www.TextileExchange.org, +1 806.577.0652, [email protected]
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