Certification Bodies

Textile Exchange’s quality assurance program supports the credible and consistent certification of preferred fibers and materials according to the criteria in our suite of standards.

Our assurance system auditing and certification processes support a network of certification bodies. These certification bodies are required to comply with our policies and procedures to conduct audits and issue certificates to assess conformance with our standards. Certification bodies must maintain accreditation by complying with these policies and procedures.

All certification bodies undergo assessment by an approved accreditation body for our standards before beginning any auditing and certification work. At least once per year they are assessed to confirm their qualification and compliance with our requirements. This yearly assessment involves on-site review at the certification body’s headquarters with key staff as well as shadow audits of client sites where the assessor observes the auditor’s performance. When non-conformities are identified, the certification body has a defined amount of time to correct them to maintain their accreditation status.

As part of the annual certification body assessment process in 2021, OneCert International was found to have non-conformities with Textile Exchange’s assurance requirements. These could not be corrected within the required timeframes and as a result, their ability to provide certification services is affected. Products already certified and issued a transaction certificate as of the date of a certification bodies suspension or withdrawal are still considered valid – unless otherwise notified by Textile Exchange.

IOAS, OneCert’s accreditation body, has withdrawn their accreditation to all Textile Exchange standards. Their certified clients must now seek certification services from and transfer their certification service requests to another accredited certification body by March 22, 2022 when their scope certificates from OneCert will be invalid. The Withdrawal of Certification Body Licensing procedure details the requirements for certification bodies in such cases. We recognize the burden that this creates for the clients of these certification bodies since they may require another audit and be subject to its additional costs.

If you are a certified client of OneCert, you should have received their notification already, but here some next steps and resources to assist you with the process:

1. Review this page of certification bodies licensed to certify against the relevant Textile Exchange standard(s) in your region and immediately contact them for quotes to become newly certified by them.
2. Review the Withdrawal of Certification Body Licensing procedure and be aware of the possibility, but not a guarantee, of the transfer audit described in section B2.
3. Inform the chosen succeeding certification body of the circumstance and provide them a copy of this communication.

While Textile Exchange is disappointed by this situation and the conditions that will impact site certifications, these circumstances reflect the integrity and consistency of our assurance system. In turn, this helps to ensure greater credibility of our standards and of the entities that offer auditing and certification services.