Dongguan Zhihongyi Packaging Products Co., Ltd.

You may have heard many acronyms mentioned by us when we’re talking about our fabrics, one of which is GRS. If this has got you wondering what on earth ‘GRS’ is, what it means, and what it has to do with clothes, then you’re in the right place. What is the GRS? The GRS stands for the Global Recycling Standard, a certification championed by theTextile Exchangeto encourage the fashion industry to use more recycled fabrics over virgin fabrics. The GRS ensures that recycled materials come from trusted sources, are sustainably and ethically produced, and that their point of origin can be traced and verified. Using recycled fabrics, such as using recycled polyester over virgin polyester, helps save energy and water and prevents tonnes of textile and plastic waste that would otherwise be sent to landfills or incinerated. By using GRS-certified materials, we’re supporting a circular economy system to reduce waste in the supply chain and reduce the harmful impact of clothing production on people and the environment. What are the requirements of the GRS? The GRS is a voluntary standard for brands to adopt, but there are many requirements for a material to be GRS certified. When you see the Global Recycling Standard label on our products, you can be sure that each recycled material has been traced and verifiedback to the point at which it was recycled. Below are some of the requirements for the Global Recycling Standard: A product must have a minimum recycled content of 20%. Brands must trace each stage of the supply chain from the point at which the original material was recycled to the final finished product. Strict social working conditions must be met at each stage of production. This includes ensuring a voluntary, safe working environment, fair wages and working hours, and ethical treatment of all workers in the supply chain. Sustainable production practices must be adopted at each production stage, including monitoring and reducing energy and water usage. No harmful chemicalsare permitted in any GRS products. These requirements allow us as consumers to recognize that when a product carries a GRS label, we know it has been created in a sustainable and ethical supply chain. Does the GRS only refer to clothing? At Thought, we use the GRS to show we’re committed to responsible production for our clothing, but it’s not just clothing that the GRS covers. The Global Recycling Standard doesn’t only apply to recycled polyester. The standard can apply to any other recycled material product. This includes recycled materials in homeware, toys, and shoes, along with other recycled textiles such as recycled wool or cotton, as long as it has a minimum of 20% recycled material. Why is the Global Recycling Standard important? The GRS is important because it drives a higher percentage of recycled content in products. It also prevents the use of hazardous chemicalsand verifies the positive social and environmental production of recycled materials. Overall, when we see a product carrying the GRS label, it gives us peace of mind knowing that not only does the product save waste, energy, and water but that the product has been responsibly produced at each step of the process.

We’ve all seen the “Recycled” mark on products and packaging before, but do you always know what type of recycling is it about and if it matters?   What is post-consumer recycling? Let’s think about plastics. Post-consumer plastics basically means that discarded plastic items are collected, cleaned and repurposed at processing facilities that have the ability to turn the used plastic into new, recycled plastics. By using post-consumer plastics to create new products, the amount of plastic waste is reduced and the production process is also more beneficial to the environment because it is not dependent on the use of fossil fuels as raw materials. This is at the base of circular business models and circular fashion. For trims, a similar example would be the use of recycled materials, originating from garments delivered by consumers at collection centers, sorted and repurposed into new yarns and textiles. As mentioned by the European Commission, “under the umbrella of post-consumer material, we can include most plastic waste currently being collected by the EU Member States EPR schemes and sent to recyclers”. What is pre-consumer recycling? Rejected, manufacturing discard, or leftover material that never meets the consumer is usually known as pre-consumer material. This type of waste is gathered and reintroduced in the manufacturing process. Because of its nature, this type of recycling can be considered a way to make production more efficient, as manufacturing excess, waste, and rejected sampling is reused. An important mention of the European Commission in its “Guidance on Waste Definition”, about scrap “reworked materials such as regrind or scrap generated in a process and capable of being reclaimed within the same process that generated it, are not defined as pre-consumer material according to the standards. These materials are likely to fulfill the legal criteria of being a by-product.” That is why the European Commission guidance material mentions that the “pre-consumer materials” “refers to a waste discarded from the production process”. What is the best choice? Recycling is in general a great choice. Post-consumer plastics are the best choice because of its circular attributes, but correct signage and waste collection are critical in order to make post-consumer packaging even a viable option is crucial. The UK Plastic Tax is a way to put pressure on brands to reconsider their choices, reduce waste and encourage recyclability. See how Crew Clothing chose 100% recycled bags for their product packaging. Which polybag to choose? At Trimco Group, we can provide brands with different solutions, where both post-consumer plastics are used, but also more innovative solutions where biobased materials are introduced, such as polybags made from 50% sugarcane, where thanks to that, the use of fossil fuels is reduced. Get in touch to know more about your options for polybags.