GRS And RWS Certification Explained For Sock Buyers

What The Global Recycled Standard Covers

GRS verifies that a product contains recycled content and that it was produced in an environmentally responsible and socially compliant manner. It is a chain of custody standard: it follows the recycled material from input through every processing stage. Shanghai Hicon Industrial Co., Ltd holds Intertek GRS 4.0 scope certificate ITS-TE-00027792-GRS-02591200, covering socks and hosiery in recycled post-consumer polyester blended with elastane, polyamide and polyester.

What The Responsible Wool Standard Covers

RWS verifies that wool is ethically produced, with animal welfare and sustainable land management at farm level, and that the wool is traceable through the supply chain. Our Intertek RWS 2.2 scope certificate ITS-TE-00027792-RAF-00038200 covers socks and hosiery in men's and women's apparel in responsible wool blended with polyester, acrylic, polyamide and elastane.

Scope Certificate Versus Transaction Certificate

A scope certificate says an organisation is certified to produce certain product categories under a standard. A transaction certificate says a specific shipment actually contained the certified material. Compliance teams need both: the scope certificate to approve the supplier, the transaction certificate to approve the goods.

Read the full specification for Merino Wool Socks

Why The Route Has To Be Set Early

Certified yarn has to be booked against a live scope certificate before bulk production. A brand that decides on a certified claim after sampling usually finds that the yarn already ordered cannot carry it, and that the reorder costs both money and weeks. Set the standard at development stage, not at hangtag stage.

BSCI And Social Compliance

GRS includes social criteria, but retailers usually want a separate social audit on the producing facility. Our partner factories are vetted and certified to BSCI standards and are open to third-party audits and inspections, which is part of how they are selected.