The Responsible Wool Standard aims to improve the welfare of sheep and the land they graze on

The Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) is a voluntary standard that requires all sites, from wool farms to the seller in the final business-to-business transaction, to be certified. RWS farmers and ranchers are evaluated against animal welfare, land management, and social requirements set in the standard.

We’re moving to a more unified standards system

In 2021, we began a sweeping revision of our standards framework to develop a harmonized system that incorporates our current suite of standards, and outcomes focused on our climate and nature strategy. We are currently finalizing the pilot version 1.0 of the unified standard, to be released in 2025. Sites that are currently certified, or pursuing certification, to our current standards should keep an eye on updates as the timeline progresses. For more information on the timeline, transition, and relevant information regarding wool, please visit the Standards Transition page.

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GOALS

Setting criteria for progressive practices that are better for animals and the land

  • Give the industry a tool that identifies farming best practices and incentivizes producers to meet these requirements.

  • Help to verify that wool in a given product comes from farms that take a progressive approach to land management and respects the Five Freedoms of animal welfare.

  • Provide a strong chain of custody for certified materials as they move along the supply chain.

  • Strengthen companies’ claims that the products they sell contain certified material.
Merino sheep grazing.
HOW IT WORKS

Incentivizing best practices and managing chain of custody

  • Animal welfare

    The Five Freedoms of animal welfare are incorporated into the criteria for the Responsible Wool Standard.
  • Land health

    Progressive methods of land management are checked on certified farms to help protect soil health, biodiversity, and native species.
  • Social welfare

    The standard criteria also cover social welfare, working conditions, and the health and safety of workers associated with farms.
  • Credible certification

    A professional, third-party certification body audits each stage in the supply chain starting at the farm.
  • Chain of custody

    Certification helps to maintain the identity of wool from certified farms through to final products. Learn more.
  • Confident communication

    Products that meet the minimum requirements for certification may be labeled with the Responsible Wool Standard logo.
  • Stakeholder engagement

    The standard is managed with the input of farmers, animal welfare experts, land conservation experts, brands, and retailers from all parts of the globe.
Resources

Dive deeper into the RWS

See all resources
DEVELOPMENT

Previous revisions and changes

In 2019, we began revisions for RWS 2.0, and the updated standard was released on March 17, 2020. For a summary of the comments received during the Public Stakeholder Review period, you can take a look at the RWS 2.0 Consultation Feedback Summary. The next revision will be part of our wider move towards a single unified standard.

GET INVOLVED

Take the next steps in your certification journey

Brand and retailers

Start sourcing certified wool or get certified yourself.
Suppliers

Use our standards to offer products that contain certified wool.
Farms

Start the certification process to our Responsible Wool Standard.
Find a certified company

Consult our directory to find suppliers or confirm whether a company is certified to the RWS.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question not answered here, get in touch with us directly, and we’ll be happy to answer it for you.

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Are Textile Exchange standards recognized globally?

Yes, all our standards apply globally. You can use our logos worldwide as long as you meet the requirements for logo use and claims.

Do you have translations of your standards available in other languages?

Visit the Document Library to see all standards documents. For some, translations are available.

Can I use your standards to know the identity of a sheep farm?

Our standards aren’t designed to provide full supply chain transparency. If you’re interested in doing the work of identifying all of sites, then you need to work directly with your suppliers and request that they disclose their sources to you. We are working on the development of a traceability system, however. You can learn more here.