What is changing for brands?

Because the impact areas of the Materials Matter Standard are directed at Tier 4 (raw material production and first processing stage), all impact criteria (chemical management, waste management, water use, energy use, emissions, and human rights and livelihoods) are implemented only from the raw material level through pre-spinning processing. Therefore, the new standard does not cover impact-related requirements for supply chain sites in tiers 1-3.

Given this, one point of departure from current practice will be for tier 1-3 sites that are certified to the GRS, as the social, environmental, and chemical modules will no longer be implemented in the supply chain once the GRS is replaced by the Materials Matter Standard in 2026.

The Materials Matter Standard will have a new standard logo and certification label, which will be part of a larger, comprehensive update to the claims and labeling system. To support this shift, we are in the process of creating a transition plan that will allow adequate time for certified organizations to move to the new claims and labeling system while phasing out the current standards logos. The transition timeline is still to be determined.