GRS – Global recycled standard enhancing the value of environmentally friendly products

An increasing number of consumers are concerned about environmentally friendly products and expect brands to take responsibility for their production pathways. The GRS (Global Recycled Standard) is a leading international certification for textile products, accessories, and materials containing recycled content. GRS establishes strict requirements on the proportion of recycled materials, environmental management, social responsibility, and traceability, in order to ensure that the final product is not only sustainable but also transparent and reliable.

What is GRS?

GRS is an abbreviation of the English term “Global Recycled Standard”, translated into Vietnamese as “Tiêu chuẩn tái chế toàn cầu”. The Global Recycled Standard provides companies with a tool to verify that one or more specific input materials are present in the final product. In addition, GRS is a comprehensive product standard that specifies best practices in social and environmental aspects, as well as chemical restrictions for fabrics, apparel, garments, accessories, etc.

Classification of the standard
GRS certification is divided into two types:

• GRS scope certificate (SC – Scope certificate): Issued to suppliers/enterprises that meet the criteria and are permitted to produce GRS goods.

• GRS transaction certificate (TS – Transaction certificate): Issued for products/goods that meet the criteria of GRS products.

Importance of GRS

The clearest evidence of the strategic importance of GRS is the rapid growth in the number of certified facilities worldwide. This standard is no longer a niche market but has become a mainstream industry requirement.
According to the market report of Textile Exchange (data aggregated through the end of 2023), the number of GRS-certified facilities increased from 34,178 facilities in 2022 to 43,427 facilities in 2023.

To illustrate the scale of this shift, consider the growth data over the past three years:

• 2021: 25,763 certified facilities.

• 2022: 34,178 certified facilities (an increase of 32.7% compared with 2021).

• 2023: 43,427 certified facilities (an increase of 27.1% compared with 2022).

The total growth in the number of GRS-certified facilities during the period 2021–2023 was 68.5%. This growth spans 50 countries.

Table 2: Growth in the number of GRS-certified facilities (2021–2023)

Purpose: To visualize the exponential growth rate and demonstrate that GRS is becoming a mandatory industry standard.

Entities subject to GRS

The entities subject to the GRS standard include all organizations participating in the supply chain of products containing recycled materials.
Industries and products that should apply GRS include, but are not limited to:

• Textiles: Recycled garments, apparel, home textiles, fabrics, yarns.

• Plastics and packaging: Products made from recycled plastics (such as rPET, rPP), PE packaging, plastic bottles.

• Other industries: Recycled paper, recycled metals, and other consumer products.

GRS also applies to the entire supply chain, from the recycler to the final seller, provided that the organization intends to make a GRS claim.
To ensure the integrity of the chain of custody (CoC), every organization that holds legal ownership of the product during production or commercial activities is required to be certified.

The links in the chain requiring certification include:

• Recyclers: Convert waste into raw materials (cotton, plastic pellets, etc.).

• Material manufacturers: Spinning mills, GRS plastic pellet production facilities.

• Processing facilities: Weaving, knitting, dyeing, printing facilities.

• Finishing facilities: Cutting, sewing.

• Distributors and traders: Entities that purchase and resell GRS products.

Benefits for enterprises applying GRS

• Demonstration of commitment to sustainable development: Enterprises can demonstrate the transparent and controlled use of recycled materials, in line with green consumption trends.

• Enhancement of corporate credibility and brand image: GRS supports the establishment of an image of environmental and social responsibility, building trust with partners and consumers.

• Increased access to international markets: GRS certification is one of the requirements of interest to many global brands and major export markets such as the EU, the United States, and Japan.

• Creation of competitive advantage: GRS helps enterprises stand out from competitors without certification, particularly in sectors such as textiles, packaging, and consumer products.

• Support for production process control and improvement: Compliance with GRS requires enterprises to review, improve, and operate production systems in a more structured and efficient manner.

• Supply chain transparency: GRS certification requires traceability of materials and transparency throughout the entire supply chain, thereby enhancing product credibility.

Conclusion

The standard is not only evidence of the use of recycled materials, but also a measure of credibility and environmental commitment within the global supply chain. In the context of sustainable consumption trends reshaping the market, achieving GRS certification enables enterprises not only to meet legal requirements and international market expectations, but also to enhance product value, strengthen brand trust, and establish long-term competitive advantages. GRS is therefore not merely a technical standard; it represents an entry point toward a future of circular and responsible production, where each recycled product becomes a representation of innovation and sustainable development.