How To Apply For The GRS Certification

• ►GRS Applies To:

• The GRS is intended to meet the needs of companies looking to verify the recycled content of their products (both finished and intermediate) and to verify responsible social, environmental and chemical practices in their production. The objectives of the GRS are to define requirements to ensure accurate content claims and good working conditions, and that harmful environmental and chemical impacts are minimised. This includes companies in ginning, spinning, weaving and knitting, dyeing and printing and stitching in more than 50 countries.

►How To Get The GRS

GRS is not easy to get. GRS certification must be Traceability, Environmental, Social, Label and General.

A) Traceability

A-1:Rules and regulations on product transportation and certificate use

• A-1.1 For materials intended for entry into the GRS system or for transportation between GRS-certified companies, during transportation.Avoid replacement or contamination of the cargo. Invoice or transport document (such as bill of lading) for shipment must also be provided.

• 1.1a The invoice or transport document for shipment of A shall contain the following contents:

•       - The name and address of the certified company and the shipper or consignee.

•       - Name and quantity/volume of the product to be shipped.

• 1.1b Raw materials to be entered into the GRS system must be certified by the appropriate raw material declaration. If the raw materials used by the raw material recycler or middleman are collected from different suppliers and added to the GRS system, it must be proved by the GRS raw material declaration document, which contains the following contents:

•     - The name and address of the certified company;

•     - The signature of the entity declared by the GRS;

•     - Supplier's name and address and corresponding raw material quantity;

•     - Declaration document of raw material supplier's compliance with local labor laws and regulations;

• These documents must ensure the traceability of raw materials into the next production chain or the final product.

A-2:Guidelines for the control of purchased products

A-2.1 Upon receipt of GRS certified products or GRS approved raw materials, the certified company shall be obliged to check:

- whether the documents accompanying the package or container provide the specific contents referred to in Guideline 1.1;

- The general condition and/or quality of GRS-certified products or GRS-declared raw materials;

-Quantity of GRS certified products or raw materials with GRS declaration;

- Raw material suppliers comply with local regulations.

Companies participating in certification must clearly document the results of inspections. If, at the time of inspection, there is doubt as to whether the relevant product complies with the above rules, the treatment of the product can not begin until the doubt is cleared and the above rules are proved to be complied with. Until then the product shall not be unloaded unless strict quarantine measures are taken. Based on the above GRS management, to ensure the integrity of the entire production line.

2.2 The manufacturer and/or collector of the recovered product must obtain and verify a written statement from the supplier of GRS raw materials (or products) entered into the GRS system (this statement shall be related to the contract).

2.3 Raw materials come from verifiable government or private recycling standards and provide relevant documentation to show that the relevant certification has been carried out and approved to be added to the certification system. These products are considered legitimate GRS declared raw materials.

2.4 As a seller of recycled products (whether pre-consumer products or post-consumer products) must obtain valid transaction certificates and confirm them from all companies that purchased the products. Upon receipt of the product, the certified company must check the integrity of the packaging or packaging container and must verify the origin and nature of the product against the information recorded in the label/declaration document (the declaration format can be obtained from CUC). If there is any doubt about the origin of the product, the product shall not be disposed of or packaged until the doubt has been clarified.

2.5 In order to track the quantity of GRS materials provided, the certified company must monitor and track the GRS materials provided.

2.6 The Company must maintain for at least 5 years original documents confirming the (GRS) condition of the purchased products, including: documents accompanying the products, and copies of each certificate (issued by a qualified certification body)

A-3:Guidelines for management

A-3.1 The certified Company shall ensure that the auditor can:

3.1A shall track the source,origin, nature, quantity and usage of all raw materials delivered to a particular unit;

3.1b shall track the origin, origin, nature, quantity and destination of all products leaving a particular unit;

3.1c Trace the source, origin, nature, quantity and destination of all internal waste;

3.1D Check the source, nature, quantity, additives, substances and components of GRS materials prepared for production. This includes the calculation of the ratio of materials originating from certified and non-certified sources, the ratio of pre-consumer waste to post-consumer waste and the ratio of quantities procured to the quantity of the certified company's own resources.

3.2 The certified Company must keep a record of the nature, quantity, origin and/or destination (including the name and address of the relevant buyer and the date of delivery) of all products received and delivered.

3.3. The certified company must maintain GRS declarations issued at the time of shipment, or a copy of these GRS declarations. In the case of the manufacturer, this includes the declaration document and any applicable trading certificate.

3.4. The certified company must be able to perform and file gross balance calculations (as described in Standard 5).

A-4:Criteria for quality control

A-4.1. The certified company must produce A GRS file system plan that describes the entire process, including risk points and flow charts.

4.2. The certified company shall also establish and implement a system for ensuring product quality through which all raw materials, all semi-finished products and all products can be tracked and identified before, during and after handling and manufacture. During storage and processing, risks such as contamination with foreign materials or mixing with products that have been contaminated with foreign materials may occur, so these risk points must be identified and documented. Preventive measures taken must be documented and strictly implemented.

4.3 The conveyance of GRS products must be hygienic and clean to avoid mixing and contamination with products that are not manufactured in accordance with relevant regulations.

When using a special conveyance, it is necessary to obtain a written statement from the conveyance company. The written statement should indicate that the loading vehicle or tool has been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. And the certified company (consignor) must also carry out random inspections of the loading vehicles. Inspection reports must be readily available for verification as required.

4.4. Specifications of raw materials and products (semi-finished products) shall be recorded and made available to relevant personnel in a timely manner.

4.5. Any external storage site shall be considered as part of the facility, so that the provisions applicable to the facility shall also apply to the storage site.

A-5:Criterion relating to the calculation of the quantity ratio between GRS materials and non-GRS materials using a gross balance calculation method

A-5.1 In order to be part of the GRS system, A portion of the material produced (measured by volume or weight) must come from A GRS-approved or certified raw material supplier and be 100% free of any contaminations. The total annual quantity of GRS material is calculated using the total balance calculation formula.
{(Σ X - (Σ Σ Y + Z)} + {(Σ Σ A + B) - (Σ C + + Σ Σ D E)} = 0
ΣX= Annual total amount of GRS recycled material received
ΣY= Annual total of GRS recycled material storage (production, shipping, testing)
ΣZ= GRS total annual inventory of recycled material after use
ΣA= GRS Total annual amount of recycled material used in production
ΣB= total amount of non-GRS raw materials (excipients, other fibers, embroidery, etc.) used for production
ΣC= total loss during production
ΣD= total amount of raw material in stock that was rejected or sold after quality inspection
ΣE= Total number of finished products shipped or in stock
This data should be checked at the GRS ANNUAL review and must be consistent with the contract. Deviations greater than 5% will be deemed inconsistent with the contract and may be excluded from the GRS certification system. The waste percentage shall be included in the total balance calculation. The certified company must specify the proportion of pre - and post-consumer waste used throughout the declared GRS product.

B) Environmental

• 6.1 The certified company must have an environmental Policy manual. The manual must contain:
• The person in charge of the registered company; Documented procedures for minimizing and monitoring waste and emissions; Procedures for the measures to be taken by the registered company in the event of a waste water accident; In addition, there must be documented training of employees on water and energy conservation, proper use and minimization of chemicals, and proper disposal of chemicals. The manual must also include an improvement plan to address these issues.
• 6.2 The certified company must maintain a comprehensive archive of chemicals, energy, water consumption and wastewater treatment, including treatment of wastewater sediments.
• 6.3 Waste water without wastewater treatment shall not be discharged. The following processing methods can be adopted:
• - Wastewater treatment within the company - Wastewater treatment carried out by local authorities
• 6.4 The waste water does not contain any additives and should be cooled below 40 ° C /104 ° F before discharge.
• 6.5 Waste water with pH values less than 6 and greater than 9 shall be neutralized until it falls between the above limits.

C) Social norms

It applies to any link in the certification chain and starts at the waste collection station. This also means that waste suppliers are not yet certified. Standards is trying to extend social norms into the supply chain of waste collection stations for recycling purposes.

C-1:Guidelines on the health and safety of workers

• C-7.1 The certified company shall submit a written document of the most recent safety and health risk assessment of the work environment.

• 7.2 The certified company shall maintain a recent written manual on health, safety and hygiene qualifications which shall contain the risk assessment issues mentioned above, such as accident and emergency procedures, hygiene procedures, and measures to deal with any possible risks present in the work environment.

• 7.3 The certified company shall appoint a senior manager to be responsible for all health, safety and training matters.

• 7.4 All workers must wear appropriate protective clothing (masks, shoes, gloves) and such clothing must be purchased or hired at the expense of the certified company.

• C-2:Guidelines on workers' rights

• C-8.1 No mandatory or bonded labor is permitted in a certified company.
• 8.2 Identification documents or (monthly) deposits should not be held by certified companies.
• 8.3 Workers have the right to leave the Company after giving reasonable notice.
• 8.4 The certified company shall grant to all workers the right to freely join or form trade unions and to negotiate on their own initiative regarding wages. Alternative forms of trade unions and collective bargaining bodies, such as the establishment of local councils between certified companies and local governments, are only available in countries where trade unions are banned.
• 8.5 Establish appropriate procedures and, where appropriate, take action to ensure that worker representatives are not discriminated against. These representatives shall have access to relevant personnel and facilities to carry out their duties as representatives.
• 8.6 Companies with GRS certification shall not employ children. Grs-certified companies that have previously employed children should take and/or take the initiative to implement educational procedures applicable to these children. In practice, such measures by companies should include the provision of school education to child labourers involved until they reach the age of 16. On the question of definition, according to the ILO definition, "child" and "child labor" should appear in the article.
• 8.7 Persons aged 16 to 18 years shall not be employed to work at night or operate in hazardous environments. This point is according to the provisions of C138 and C182 in ILO practice.
• 8.8 The salary shall be paid according to the weekly working standard and shall not be lower than the national legal standard or the benchmark salary stipulated by the industry.
• 8.9 All workers should be informed of their terms of employment in simple and understandable written documents. (for example, through an employment contract). This information should include salary and social benefits and insurance withheld by the company. This information should be given to workers before they start work. Workers should also know the details of their pay each time they receive it (for example, through a pay slip or registration form). The employment relationship must be established on the basis of national laws and policies.
• 8.10 The certified company shall not deduct the wages of workers in any form, unless it is allowed or required by national laws.
• 8.11 Working hours shall comply with national laws and industry benchmark standards, and shall be subject to the provision of greater protection.
• 8.12 The certified company shall comply with the regulations that the maximum working hours per week shall not exceed 48 hours and shall have at least one day off in every seven days.
• 8.13 The certified company shall establish an overtime policy stipulating that overtime work shall be voluntary and shall not exceed 12 hours of overtime per week, and overtime pay shall be paid in addition.
• 8.14 Certified companies shall establish a recruitment policy that prohibits termination of employment or dismissal of workers based on race, class, nationality, region, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, association, political beliefs, etc.
• 8.15 The relevant workers' rights and obligations as well as social insurance laws, regulations and policies shall be observed as part of the employment contract. The above contract shall not be replaced by any other short-term contract, additional contract or any other labor arrangement.
• 8.16 Any form of ill-treatment or threat of ill-treatment and any form of physical or psychological punishment is prohibited.

C-3:Guidelines on workers' rights

• 9.1 Records of health, hygiene and safety training activities, participants and topics discussed should be kept on file. These records shall be included in all work in the certified program.
• 9.2 All workers in a certified company must undergo health and safety training. There must be relevant records available.

• C-4:Guidelines on hygiene, hazards and first aid

• 10.1 Certified companies must have clearly defined hygiene guidance documents.
  10.2 Emergency measures must be clearly publicized and understood by all workers.
  10.3 There must be warning signs in every place where there is potential danger.
  10.4 First aid kit must be readily available.
  10.5 Workers must have flushing facilities, clean drinking water and eating areas.
  10.6 The dormitory or designated accommodation must have running water and sanitary facilities.

• D:Label grade and logo use

• Finished or semi-finished products containing recycled raw materials shall be identified as "Global Recovery Standard" products. These products shall be graded according to the amount of "pre - and post-consumer" waste they contain, with a minimum of not less than 5%. In addition, the product description should indicate the proportion of pre - and post-consumer waste.
  The product logo must contain the following description:
  "Made with Recycled- raw material pre-consumer X% and X% post-consumer"
  It is made of recycled materials. The content of recycled materials before consumption is -x %. The content of recycled materials after consumption is -x %.
  A. Raw material - : The raw material must be specified. B. The proportion of pre - and post-consumer waste must be indicated.
  11.2 Products to be certified must additionally indicate "certification Company Code + Certification Project Number", the certification project number is issued by the certification company.
  11.3 The certified product may also be marked with the GRS logo shown above and below, or refer to the textile trading website www.TextileExchange.org, regarding the use of the logo in promotional materials, such as not only referring to the company brochure, and the speech must be approved in writing by the Textile Trading organization.

 

D:General principles Guidelines for inspection

• 12.1 The company applying for certification (for the purpose of examination) guarantees that the certification company has free access to all units and departments, and provides accounts and relevant supporting documents. The certified company must provide any information that the certified Company considers relevant to the audit. If requested by the certifying company, the certifying company must provide the results obtained under its own voluntary sampling inspection procedure.

• 12.2 The certifying Company shall carry out a comprehensive site review of the production unit/preparation unit or other site at least once a year, and the certifying Company has the right to carry out surprise inspections. On-site reviews should include facilities or areas where there is a significant risk or product exchange.

►Our GRS Certification Sample