Fibre & Textile Certifications: A Sourcing Guide
Sourcing knitwear means meeting an alphabet soup of certifications and regulations. Here's the map — what each is, and the crucial difference between a certification and a regulation.
Brands often lump these together, but they fall into two very different groups — and confusing them causes real sourcing mistakes.
Certifications (voluntary, third-party verified)
- OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 — tested free from harmful substances.
- GOTS — certified organic fibre, full chain of custody.
- GRS / RCS — recycled content, verified.
- RWS (Responsible Wool Standard) — animal welfare and land management for wool.
- BCI (Better Cotton) — more sustainable cotton production.
These are claims you can make when your materials and supply chain are certified.
Regulations (mandatory by market)
- REACH / SVHC — EU chemical safety. Not a certificate; compliance via materials, documentation and testing.
- CPSIA — US product safety, strict for children's.
- GPSR — EU general product safety, traceability and a responsible person.
These are laws you must meet to sell in a market — independent of any voluntary certification.
The distinction that matters: a certification is an optional badge (OEKO-TEX, GOTS). A regulation is a legal requirement (REACH, CPSIA, GPSR). You can be fully compliant with regulations without holding any voluntary certification.
How certification flows to your garment
For us, it starts at the yarn: we source certified yarns from accredited suppliers and pass the supplier's certificates and traceability to you, and we can arrange third-party testing where a market or buyer requires it. We don't issue our own facility certifications — the certified inputs and independent testing carry the claims. Tell us your target markets and which badges your buyers expect, and we'll source to match. Get in touch.
Ready to make it?
Send a tech pack, a reference garment or a brief. We respond within one business day with a capacity check, indicative pricing and a sample timeline — direct with the founder.