The RWS aims to enhance the welfare of sheep and the land they graze on.
Textile Exchange is a global non-profit driving positive impact on climate change across the fashion and textile industry. It guides a growing community of brands, manufacturers, and farmers towards more purposeful production from the very start of the supply chain. Textile Exchange developed several important industry standards, including the Responsible Wool Standard which is part of the Responsible Animal Fiber program.
RWS is an international, voluntary standard that addresses animal welfare in sheep farms and chain of custody of wool from certified farms to the final product. RWS provides verification of the practices that are happening at farm level, giving brands a clear solution that will allow them to make claims about their wool sourcing with confidence.
The RWS goals are to:
- Recognize the best practices of farmers
- Ensure that wool comes from farms with a progressive approach to managing their land, and from sheep that have been treated responsibly
- Create an industry benchmark that will drive improvements in animal care and land management and social welfare where needed
- Provide a robust chain of custody system from farm to final product so that consumers are confident that the wool in the products they choose is truly RWS.
How Intertek can help
Intertek is an accredited certification body for GOTS and for the following Textile Exchange standards GRS, RCS, OCS and CCS, including supply chain companies for RDS, and RAF (RWS, RMS, RAS) with a secondary scope (i.e. all RDS sites after the slaughter site and all RAF sites after the farm). We aid all sites in the supply chain including brands in delivering end-to-end solutions that help organizations mitigate supply chain risk and boost confidence in their sustainable sourcing, brand and marketing claims.
Why choose Intertek for Textile Exchange and GOTS certification?
- Network of global experts in the textile processing industry: environmental, social, and chemical management audits
- Local experts in the countries where your suppliers are located, delivering consistently with precision, pace and passion on a global and local level
- Process management and guidance throughout the entire certification life cycle through our web-based platform SourceClear providing you visibility into your certifications and supporting faster business transactions (Scope Certifications, Transaction Certifications)
Intertek is a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide. Partner with Intertek and gain confidence in your sustainable sourcing, brand and marketing claims. With the largest auditor network around the world in more than 100 countries, Intertek can support your organisation's ethical sourcing goals wherever you do business.
Our Certification Process
Audit Preparation
1. Application Submission
The first step to becoming certified is to fill out our Client Information Form, to best evaluate your requirements.
2. Quotation
Then we provide you with a quotation.
3. Contract Signing and Payment
4. Submit Documents
Client submits documents to Intertek for pre-assessment review.
Audit & Certification
5. Audit
Audit can be done onsite, remotely or hybrid depending on the site's risk level. Good preparation can speed up the certification process.
6. Audit Follow-up (if needed)
In case non-conformance(s) is found.
7. Certification Decision and Scope Certificate issuance in our SourceClear system
Audit results will be reviewed to make a final certification decision.
8. Transaction Certificate (Request & Issuance) throughout the certification cycle
Following the shipment of certified goods to the given standard, request a transaction certificate to provide valid documentation to your customer.
