What is Chain of Custody?
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What is Chain of Custody?
Chain of custody verifies the path from the input material to the final product, and gives assurance that fiber content claims (like “organically grown” or “recycled”) are accurate. By having your product certified to a voluntary third-party content claim standard (all Textile Exchange standards), you will have the assurance that every step in the supply chain has taken all the necessary measures to track the raw material as it moves from the source to the final product.
How the Content Claim Standard (CCS) Works
The Content Claim Standard (CCS) is the Textile Exchange chain of custody standard. The requirements in this document form the foundation for all of our standards. Each stage of the supply chain must be certified (on-site audit, document review, then given a scope certificate (SC)).
But it doesn’t stop here! The scope certificate is not enough to show that the products they are making have actually been produced to that standard, as companies may continue to trade both certified and non-certified products.
As the material moves along the production chain, transaction certificates (TCs) are issued each time the products are shipped. The transaction certificate is issued by the certification body to the producer and recipient. This document works a bit like a domino system. A TC for a final product can only be issued if all the previous TCs were in place.
Why is Chain of Custody Important?
- Efficiency – Saving time and resources to verify the sources directly
- Purchase Assurance – Ensuring that you are ‘getting what you paid for’
- Credibility – Driving real and meaningful change
- Commitment – Ensuring that you are ‘doing what you are saying’
- Creating Synergies – Developing a common language
- Marketing Tool – Providing a communication framework
- Brand Protection – Safeguarding reputation and protection against litigation