Get Certified

One of the biggest areas of impact in the fashion and textile supply chain is the production of raw materials. Certification offers a way to verify improved environmental, social, and animal welfare practices at the beginning of the supply chain and keep track of that material as it makes its way to the final product. It helps both companies and consumers verify that sustainability claims such as “organic”, “recycled”, or “responsible” are accurate.

GET STARTED

Ready to get certified?

1. Contact an approved Certification Body (CB). The CB will be your point of contact throughout the entire process of certification, from the beginning to the final labeling and communications.

2. Fill out the application form from the CB and submit it. Applying with more than one CB allows you to compare estimates.

3. After receiving your completed application, the CB will prepare an offer including price and timing estimates.

4. After the offer is accepted, you’ll be asked to sign a contract with the CB. Typically, a contract is valid for one year and will need to be renewed afterward.

5. The CB will send an auditor to review documents and procedures against the requirements of the standard. Make sure to read the standard and prepare the relevant documents and staff beforehand. Preparation can reduce certification costs by saving auditing time.

6. The results of the audit will be sent to the CB’s office in an audit report. Another person will review them and make a final certification decision. If non-conformities (NC) are noted, you’ll be given a corrective action plan. All NCs have to be closed for a scope certificate (SC) to be issued.

7. After successfully meeting all requirements of the standard, an SC will be issued.

8. CBs may conduct unannounced inspections to check that you still conform to the standards.

9. Following the shipment of certified goods to the given standard, contact your CB to apply for a transaction certificate (TC). Only products with an accompanying TC are considered certified.