FAIRTRADE

The Fairtrade label helps improve the living conditions of producers, workers, and their communities. Fairtrade-certified products are subject to social, environmental, and economic criteria. The product is fully traceable from the field to the store shelf. This certification exists for food products, but also for textile products such as cotton. Its presence indicates that 100% of the cotton in this product is fair trade. Fairtrade provides support to producers and ensures product price stability. It also promotes advocacy and is recognized worldwide.

FAIR WEAR FOUNDATION

The Fair Wear Foundation was established in 1999. The Fair Wear Foundation label certifies fair and equitable working conditions for textile workers in member companies. It is a multi-stakeholder organization that works to monitor and improve working conditions in the textile industry. The Fair Wear Foundation relies on NGOs, workers' unions, and brand representatives to make decisions and choose rules collectively. It is an independent foundation that works in collaboration with member companies to improve and ensure decent working conditions. This collaboration is embodied in the Fair Wear Foundation's Labor Code, based on the 8 standard practices supported and inspired by the conventions of the ILO (International Labor Organization) and the International Declaration of Human Rights.

GOTS

GOTS is a global standard for organic fibers that includes ecological and social criteria and relies on independent certification of the entire textile supply chain. The standard covers the processing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, trade, and distribution of all textiles made from at least 70% certified organic natural fibers . It currently has the most stringent specifications:

• Presence of certified organic fibers between 70% and 95%
• Ban on chemicals toxic to the environment and health
• Ban on GMOs
• Waste minimization
• Wastewater treatment
• Recyclable packaging
• Compliance with social criteria set by the ILO (International Labour Organization)
• Technical quality of the finished product

GRS

The Global Recycle Standard was developed by Control Union Certifications in 2008 and became the property of Textile Exchange on January 1, 2011. GRS is an international, voluntary standard that establishes criteria for third-party certification of recycled content, chain of custody, social and environmental practices, and chemical composition restrictions.

The GRS standard is designed to meet the needs of companies that wish to verify the recycled content of their products (finished and intermediate) and control responsible social, environmental and chemical practices in their production.

The GRS standard aims to define requirements that ensure the accuracy of content declarations and the quality of working conditions, and to minimize environmental and chemical impacts. It applies to companies engaged in ginning, spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, printing, and sewing in more than 50 countries.

OEKOTEX STANDARD 100

The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 label is a quality label, also called “Confiance Textile” in France. It guarantees the safety of textiles or products used during the production process, for humans (workers or consumers) and the environment. It ensures the production of materials or finished products free from toxic substances. This label benefits consumers, who can check whether the product certification is still valid thanks to a certification number. There are four product classes. The more the product is in contact with the skin, the more stringent the anti-allergy standards are.

• Class I: the strictest, products for children under 3 years old
• Class II: Items in direct contact with the skin, such as underwear, bed linen and T-shirts
• Class III: items that are not in direct contact with the skin such as coats, jackets, etc.
• Class IV: equipment materials, such as curtains, tablecloths or upholstered furniture coverings

A member of the International OEKO-TEX® Association since 1994, the IFTH (French Institute of Textiles and Clothing - Lyon laboratory) is the only organization authorized in France to process these certification applications. The IFTH carries out the tests according to the specifications defined by the International OEKO-TEX® Association. The Oeko-Tex certificate is issued for a period of one year.

PETA

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1980 to advocate for animal rights. PETA certification certifies that certified products do not contain any animal materials. This certification is declarative, meaning that companies wishing to be certified by PETA must complete a questionnaire and sign a “statement of assurance” attesting that the products do not contain any animal materials, such as fur, leather, silk, down, or wool. Some products of a brand may be labeled alongside other, unlabeled products.

LEATHER WORKING GROUP

The Leather Working Group (LWG) is an international organization that aims to encourage sustainability in the leather industry, among other things through the development of a standard that takes into account environmental and social performance criteria for leather.

To become a member of the LWG, manufacturers must undergo an assessment of their facilities to ensure they meet the established standard. This standard covers several parameters such as chemical management, chromium use, traceability, water and energy use, and waste management.