What is GRS?

GRS (Global Recycled Standard) is an international, voluntary product standard that sets requirements for third-party certification of recycled content, traceability, social and environmental practices and chemical restrictions, for products containing at least 20% recycled material. It is managed by Textile Exchange. GRS does not address product quality or legal compliance.

History

GRS was developed in 2008 by Control Union Certifications; ownership passed to Textile Exchange on January 1, 2011. The previous version, GRS 4.0, was published in 2017 (GRS 5.0, Foreword).

What does it certify?

• Chain: Every production stage is certified, from the recycling stage to the last seller in the final B2B transaction. Material collection and concentration sites are assessed through self-declaration, document collection and on-site visits.
• Thresholds: The standard applies to products with at least 20% recycled content. For a product-specific GRS label, the content must be at least 50% and the product must be certified up to the last B2B seller (A3.1a, A3.2b).
• What counts: The ISO 14021 definition is used; only pre-consumer and post-consumer material counts as recycled content. Post-consumer material comes from products that end users can no longer use for their intended purpose; pre-consumer material is material diverted from the waste stream during manufacturing. Residue and scrap that can be reclaimed within the same process do not count (A1).
• Social criteria: Forced, bonded and prison labor, child labor, freedom of association, discrimination and harassment, health and safety, wages and working hours (section B).
• Environment: Energy, water, wastewater, air emissions and waste management; environmental and chemical management systems (section C).
• Chemicals: Formulations that exceed the ZDHC MRSL limits cannot be used in GRS products (D2.3a). This restriction applies to the chemicals used in processing; it does not address chemicals that may be present in the reclaimed material or in the final product (A3.2d).

Documents and exceptions

Every certified entity in the chain receives a scope certificate, and each recycled material entering the chain needs a valid transaction certificate issued by the certification body. The pre-consumer and post-consumer content percentages are recorded separately for each batch and written on the transaction certificate (A5.2). Exceptions apply to subcontractors and low-volume traders: traders with annual GRS product turnover under USD 10,000 and retailers that sell only to end consumers are exempt from the certification requirement as long as they do not repackage or label the product. An exempt trader still registers with an approved certification body and informs it immediately when turnover exceeds the threshold (A5.2c).

GRS 5.0

As of the date of this entry (October 2026), the current version is GRS 5.0: it was published in July 2026, has been available for use since July 1, 2026, and all audits will be carried out against it from December 31, 2026. Textile Exchange describes 5.0 not as a comprehensive revision but as a limited “urgent substantive revision”: the scope now explicitly includes reclaimed material, and the renewed Reclaimed Material Declaration Form (RMDF) must be used by December 31, 2026. The standard text states that GRS is entering a multi-year phase-out schedule, with a move to the Materials Matter Standard (MMS). For your facility’s timeline, contact your certification body and Textile Exchange.

How it differs from similar terms

Verification

Get confirmation from the certification body that issued the certificate. The product, quantity and date on the transaction certificate for a shipment must match the order, and the pre-consumer and post-consumer shares must be visible on the certificate. For companies that provide certification services, see the compliance consultants and certification bodies category; for companies that recycle textile waste, see textile recycling; for document-checking steps, see the textile certifications guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is a GRS-certified product made entirely of recycled material?

No. GRS applies to products with at least 20% recycled content; the threshold for a product-specific label is 50%. State the actual share when you make a claim. The standard also advises sellers to check which recycled-content claims are permitted in the countries where they sell.

Is GRS mandatory?

No. GRS is a voluntary standard and is not intended to replace the legal or regulatory requirements of any country. In practice the demand mostly comes from the buyer.

What is the difference between GRS and RCS?

Both require certification of the chain from the recycling stage to the last seller. RCS focuses only on tracking the recycled input; GRS adds social, environmental and chemical criteria to this.