GRS Certification
With the increasing attention paid to environmental protection around the world, GRS certification is an international voluntary full product standard certification, a third-party certification for recycled material content, and requirements for regulatory chains, environment and chemical restrictions.
The purpose of GRS certification is to increase the use of recycled materials in products while reducing the impact of production on society and the environment. At present, many well-known brands and retailers have made commitments to achieve greenhouse gas emissions reductions, promising to achieve a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The use of recycled materials is seen as one of the important solutions to achieve emission reductions.
For example, polyester, one of the most commonly used raw materials in the textile industry, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% compared to ordinary polyester when we use recycled polyester. Since the use of recycled materials is of great significance to achieving emission reduction goals, more and more textile export companies are required to pass this certification. Brands and retailers are paying more and more attention to whether their supply chain is environmentally compliant. Therefore, the global recycling standard will become the "standard" for all manufacturing companies and their full-line supply chain merchants.
GRS certification refers to the Global Recycled Standard certification. It is an international certification system that verifies and ensures that products and materials come from recycled raw materials. GRS is an international, voluntary and comprehensive product standard that specifies third-party certification requirements for recycled content, production and sales supervision chain, social and environmental practices, and chemical restrictions.
Basic conditions for GRS certification
Application conditions for GRS certified products: Recycled content ratio ≥ 20%
- Definition and proportion calculation of recycled materials Assuming that the weight of a GRS product is 100 grams, of which the weight of recycled materials is 80 grams and the weight of non-recycled materials is 20 grams, then the proportion of recycled materials is 80%. The components of each material of the product need to be decomposed and the same components are combined for weight calculation.
- GRS recycling type: Recycled materials are divided into pre-consumer and post-consumer recycling
◆ Pre-consumer recycling (Pre-consumer): It comes from the waste stream generated during the production process of the enterprise, excluding the reuse of materials such as rework, regrinding, fragments generated in the process and can be recycled in the same process that generates this waste.
◆ Post-consumer recycling (Post-consumer): The materials come from materials that have been used by consumers and are no longer used for their original purposes. They may come from households, industries, commerce or institutions.
From the initial raw material transaction, it is necessary to apply for a TC transaction certificate from the GRS certification agency and give it to downstream enterprises. Downstream enterprises need to have upstream TC transaction certificates and invoices with upstream, upstream and downstream purchase and sales contracts, upstream delivery notes, delivery notes, total balance sheets, etc.
GRS application conditions: The principle of GRS certification is that the proportion of recycled content in the final product must be at least ≥20% (more than 50% can use the GRS logo). The principle of GRS certification, take the textile industry as an example: from raw material suppliers → chemical fiber processing → yarn → textile → printing and dyeing + finishing → fabric → finished product industry or trading company, the entire supply chain needs to be supervised and GRS certified. The enterprises in the entire supply chain are closely connected through the TC transaction certificate. Starting from the initial raw material transaction, downstream enterprises need to apply for a TC transaction certificate from the GRS certification agency, and rely on upstream TC transaction certificates, purchase and sales contracts, delivery notes, delivery notes, total balance sheets and other documents.
If an enterprise in the supply chain fails to obtain a TC transaction certificate or GRS certification, the supply chain will be terminated, and all products will be regarded as non-certified raw materials and products and cannot meet the GRS standards. Transaction certificates and invoices with upstream, upstream and downstream purchase and sales contracts, upstream delivery notes, delivery notes, total balance sheets, etc. (TC transaction certificates contain information about the buyer, but no supplier information; there is product ingredient information and weight).
Fondofold Bags(Shenzhen) CO., LTD is a GRS-certified company. By obtaining GRS international certification, Fondofold not only enhances the green competitiveness of recycled bags, but also makes the production history of bags more transparent, ensuring that the raw materials are 100% recycled or mixed with virgin materials. It can also prove that each production process, including wastewater treatment and the use of chemicals, complies with international eco-textile standards, and that social responsibility is also implemented in accordance with the standards of the International Labor Organization. Obtaining GRS certification itself is a beautiful business card of Fondofold.