The Top 38 Fashion Industry Certifications Creating a Healthier Fashion Industry
Get to know the top 38 fashion industry certifications
I have created a list of fashion certification companies that support fashion for both human health and environmental health. This is a free resource and certification list to help your fashion wardrobe or your fashion company.
There are many more certification companies, but these are several of the top certification companies. I have put them in categories:
TEXTILES // ORGANIC // RECYCLED
ENVIRONMENTAL // SUSTAINABILITY
ETHICAL // FAIRTRADE
Included below are 20 apparel + textile certification companies. The 40 certification labels listed will help you. Whether you are a fashion consumer, have a fashion company, or if you are a fashion activist, these verifications are important because they help us know if a product is either safe to wear, and/or if it is safe for the environment.
If you have the time, money, and resources to buy apparel products that are certified, then you are not only helping yourself-- but the world around you. The more certified products we purchase, the more demand there will be for certified apparel.
If you don’t have the budget to buy fashion that is certified (many, but not all fashion products are a little more expensive when they are certified,) you can research a list of brands online that are certified to see which brand carries products that are for your budget. Also, once you find brands that are certified, you can trust these brands and can assume they are supported by fashion industry certifications.
Stay tuned, because I will be creating a sample list of several companies/brands that carry certified apparel and certified textiles.
Many people have different motives about where they like to shop, or what they want to wear. I don’t personally only look for certified products, however, it doesn’t mean I don’t have brand name fashions that are certified. It is something I would like to become more aware of, and I think the trend of transparency is great because it is easier for companies and brands to start being more interested in label certifications too, and promoting them.
I would like to purchase more apparel items that are certified. Just because a company has certified its products, however, it doesn’t mean the product is 100% healthy. Yet, typically if they are using certifications they are more than likely a wholesome company and carry a good product. Many brands aren't using fashion industry certifications-- and a lot of them produce a healthy product.
I feel more satisfied when I go to a grocery store, and I see certification labels like USDA ORGANIC or NON-GMO PROJECT VERIFIED on food products I want to buy. It just makes me feel like I am eating a healthier product. The same should go for apparel products.
I have personally designed and sewn many fashion designs made from cotton, linen, and hemp fabrics that were certified by multiple apparel certifiers-- and the quality, feel, and look of the fabric is noticeable.
Surprisingly, these fashion industry certifications are being found in mainstream retail stores. You will not just find luxury fashion labels or eco-fashion labels that are certifying their apparel and textile-based products.
Certifying fashion apparel products are becoming much more popular. Target, for example, has a full collection of home textiles that are either GOTS certified or OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 certified. It really makes you feel like buying sheets and pillowcases at Target when they are made of plant-based fabrics, and with textile certifications included. You can feel and see the difference.
Additionally, one of Target’s popular brand Universal Threads is certified Fair Trade. They have partnered with FAIR TRADE CERTIFIED FACTORY. Target has also partnered with BETTER COTTON INITIATIVE.
The Top 40 Fashion Industry Certifications
Each certification company is listed by category, including a brief description of their company and its logo image. Click on their company name to visit their website!
TEXTILES // ORGANIC // RECYCLED
1. BCI: Better Cotton Initiative
"The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) — a global not-for-profit organisation — is the largest cotton sustainability programme in the world. In the 2018-19 cotton season, 2.3 million BCI Farmers received training on more sustainable farming practices and produced 5.6 million tonnes of Better Cotton – that equates to 22% of global cotton production." - BCI
2. GOTS: Global Organic Cotton Standard
"The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is recognised as the world's leading processing standard for textiles made from organic fibres. It defines high-level environmental criteria along the entire organic textiles supply chain and requires compliance with social criteria as well." - GOTS
3. Soil Association Organic Standard
"The Soil Association is the UK’s leading membership charity campaigning for healthy, humane and sustainable food, farming and land use." - Soil Association
4. Certified B Corp
"Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy." - Certified B Corps
5. OSC: Organic Blended Content Standard
"The Organic Content Standard (OCS) applies to any non-food product containing 5-100% organic material. It verifies the presence and amount of organic material in a final product. It tracks the flow of a raw material from the source to the final product and this process is certified by an accredited third party." - Textile Exchange
6. RDS: Responsible Down Standard
"The Responsible Down Standard safeguards the welfare of geese and ducks that provide down and feathers for the products we all love." - Responsible Down
7. Regenerative Organic Certification
"Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) is a revolutionary new certification for food, fiber, and personal care ingredients. ROC farms and products meet the highest standards for soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness." - ROC
8. Greenguard
"GREENGUARD Certification is an internationally recognized product emissions certification labeling program for manufacturers of low-emitting indoor products, furnishings, and materials. Products can be certified under two different standards." - Greenguard
9. Made safe
"MADE SAFE® is a program of Nontoxic Certified, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We provide America’s first comprehensive human health and ecosystem-focused certification for nontoxic products across store aisles, from baby to personal care to household and beyond." -Made Safe
10. Reach
"REACH (EC 1907/2006) aims to improve the protection of human health and the environment through the better and earlier identification of the intrinsic properties of chemical substances. This is done by the four processes of REACH, namely the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals. REACH also aims to enhance innovation and competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry." - European Commission
11. SMaRT Certified
"Provide Substantial Global Benefits for the world’s products with Environmental, Social, & Economic criteria" -SMaRT
12. ZDHC zero discharge of hazardous chemicals
"We want to protect the planet by reducing industry's chemical footprint. That means working hand-in-hand with the entire value chain. We collaborate with global brands, chemical suppliers, manufacturers and other organisations that share our vision. Together we create a new way forward." - ZDHC
13. Naturtextile Best Standard
"Naturtextil IVN certified BEST is a standard for eco-friendly textiles with the strictest requirements for ecological textile production at the highest technical levels."- Control Union
14. One Cert
"OneCert, Inc. was founded in 2003 by Sam Welsch to provide certification to the US NOP, EU, JAS, and the GOTS and TE textile programs. We are known for our dedication to the integrity of the organic label." - OneCert
15. Global Recycle Standard
"The Global Recycle Standard (GRS) was originally developed by Control Union Certifications in 2008 and ownership was passed to the Textile Exchange on 1 January 2011. The GRS is an international, voluntary, full product standard that sets requirements for third-party certification of recycled content, chain of custody, social and environmental practices and chemical restrictions."- Control Union
ENVIRONMENTAL // SUSTAINABILITY
16. Ecocert
"Obtaining an Ecocert certification allows you to highlight your environmentally friendly and socially conscious practices, and to establish a bond of trust with your stakeholders. Our teams help you choose the certifications that are best suited to your needs.
We strive to enable production processes that respect the environment, better management of available energy and of natural resources (water, air, soil fertility), socially responsible sectors, and better product quality and safety. All of these elements are essential to address today's economic, social and environmental challenges in order to build tomorrow's world." - ECOCERT
17. Eco Label by European Union
"Ecolabel is a label of environmental excellence that is awarded to products and services meeting high environmental standards throughout their life-cycle: from raw material extraction, to production, distribution and disposal. The EU Ecolabel promotes the circular economy by encouraging producers to genera