Textile Exchange

Textile Exchange has recently worked with GOTS to update the transaction certificate (TC) policy. With a goal to increase the efficiency of the certification process, both TE-owned standards and GOTS will allow multiple shipments for a single TC.

Read the updated document here.

European Parliament discusses Bangladesh Fire

Some European Parliament members have called for a higher level of responsibility on the part of major brands and retailers in preventing tragedies like the fire at the Bangladesh factory. Read more here.

USDA Organic Farm Certification

The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) has released a helpful guide (Organic Certification) to understanding organic farm certification. To sign up for regular updates from the USDA NOP, click here.

FTC Green Guides

The FTC has released the latest version of their Green Guides. The guides are written “to help marketers ensure that the claims they make about the environmental attributes of their products are truthful and non-deceptive.”  A recent webinar was hosted by RILA (co-hosted by SAC, PSRT, and AHAM) held to provide further clarification on the 200 page document. 

FTC Green Guides Webinar

ISO 65 Updated to become ISO/IEC 17065
The change includes updates to terms and definitions, resources, and guidance, as well as additional requirements.

New ISO/IEC 17065 standards to increase confidence in audits and certification

Beyond Organic: The Role of Eco-Labeling and Certification in Sustainable Brand Success
This article from Sustainable Brands highlights new research on the perception consumers hold of eco-labeling and certifications.

Beyond Organic: The Role of Eco-Labeling and Certification in Sustainable Brand Success

Equivalency Agreement - USDA NOP and EU
As of June 1, 2012 products certified to the USDA NOP organic farm standard will be able to be sold as 'organic' in the EU, and vice versa. The USDA has released two fact sheets to explain the details of the arrangements, with implications for businesses in the US and in Europe.

Accessing the European Union Organic Market
Accessing the United States Organic Market

USDA NOP - Textile Labeling Guidelines
The USDA National Organic Program has released training modules on the NOP regulation to allow for greater understanding. As part of Subpart 5 - Labels, Labeling and Market Information, a textile section was released on May 23 and includes information on the recent memo from NOP regarding GOTS. You can find more information on the training series offered by the USDA NOP here: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/NOPTraining

Supbpart 5 - Part VII - Labeling of Textiles that Contain Organic Fibers

Udpated eco-labeling in France
Intertek recently gave a webinar on the proposed Eco-Labeling Regulations in France. Known as Granelle 2, these French regulations could potentially impact US companies as well. The free recorded webinar is a great start to understanding the new regulations.

Intertek's Eco-labeling requirements in France