Two Kinds of Recycled Fibre

Recycled fabric is not one material. The two that matter commercially behave very differently, and confusing them is how buyers end up with a fabric that does not perform:

Type Source Performance Watch out for
rPET (recycled polyester) Bottles or textile waste, re-polymerised into chip Identical to virgin polyester The claim needs a certificate, not the fibre
Recycled cotton, pre-consumer Cutting waste from garment factories Slightly shorter staple, usually blended Colour varies batch to batch
Recycled cotton, post-consumer Worn garments, sorted and re-shredded Much shorter fibre, lower strength Usually a small share of the blend

In practice: rPET is the easy route, because the yarn behaves exactly like virgin polyester and the whole jersey and fleece range can be built on it. Recycled cotton is the harder route, because the fibre is physically shorter and the fabric has to be engineered around that.

What GRS Actually Certifies

The Global Recycled Standard is a chain-of-custody standard, not a fibre test. It certifies two separate things at once, and both matter:

  • Recycled content — a verified percentage. The product must contain at least 20% recycled material to be GRS certified, and at least 50% to carry the GRS logo.
  • Chain of custody — every stage from the recycler to the finished garment is tracked, and each transfer is documented.
  • Processing criteria — social, environmental and chemical requirements at each certified facility, audited annually.
GRS is not the only standard. RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) verifies recycled content only, with no social or environmental criteria. If a supplier says certified without naming the standard, ask which one — the answer changes what you can claim.

The Transaction Certificate Chain

A GRS logo on a hangtag is not proof of anything. The proof is a transaction certificate (TC) issued for a specific shipment, linking the certified input to the product you received.

What a TC should show:

  • Seller, buyer and the certification body's reference number.
  • Product description and the weight shipped, in kilograms.
  • The verified recycled content percentage for that batch.
  • Issue date and a TC number that can be checked with the certification body.
Ask for the TC that covers your order. A generic scope certificate proves the factory is certified. It does not prove your garment contains recycled fibre. Both documents exist for a reason, and buyers often accept the weaker one.

What Recycled Fabric Cannot Do

Recycled is a sourcing decision with real trade-offs. Pretending otherwise is how a first recycled order turns into a quality complaint:

  • Recycled cotton is shorter-stapled. Expect lower tensile strength and more pilling unless it is blended with virgin cotton or recycled polyester.
  • Colour consistency is harder. Feedstock varies, so batch-to-batch shade differences are larger than with virgin fibre — especially on dark colours.
  • It usually costs more. rPET carries a modest premium over virgin polyester; certified recycled cotton carries a larger one, because supply is limited.
  • Availability is uneven. Certified rPET yarn is broadly available; certified recycled cotton often has to be booked ahead of the production window.

Claims and Compliance

Recycled content is a factual claim, and it has to be substantiated. Eco-friendly and sustainable are marketing claims, and some markets regulate them. What we can support is the composition and the transaction certificate — the wording you put on a hangtag is your responsibility per market, and the safest claim is always the one the certificate can carry.

Logo rights follow the threshold. The GRS logo can only be used above 50% recycled content, and only when a TC covers the goods. Below that, the product can still be GRS certified at 20% — it just cannot carry the logo.

How to Verify a Supplier

Four questions separate a real recycled programme from a label on a catalogue page:

  • Which documents do you have — a scope certificate, a transaction certificate for my order, or both?
  • Which standard is it — GRS or RCS? They are not interchangeable, and only GRS covers processing criteria.
  • What is the verified percentage, and which fibre carries it — rPET or recycled cotton?
  • Can you send the composition test report alongside the TC? If the claim is ever challenged, this is the file that answers it.

Recycled Fabric FAQ

  • Is rPET as strong as virgin polyester? Yes. It is the same polymer, so tensile strength, stretch and wash performance are equivalent. The difference is in the certificate chain, not the fabric.
  • Is recycled cotton weaker? Usually, yes — the fibre is shorter. That is why it is normally blended, and why a 100% recycled cotton jersey is rare.
  • What is a transaction certificate? A document issued for a specific shipment that links the certified recycled input to the goods you received, with weight and percentage.
  • Does GRS mean the garment is sustainable? No. It verifies recycled content and processing criteria at certified facilities. It is not a full lifecycle assessment.
  • Can you supply GRS fabric? Yes. We hold GRS certification, and we can quote certified rPET and recycled blends. The transaction certificate is issued per order, so tell us at inquiry stage that the claim matters.