Why animal welfare certification in textiles?

Every year, millions of animals are physically abused in the production of textile fibers. With standards like RAF, consumers can be assured that the animal fibers in their garments have been produced in accordance with animal welfare principles.

"Animal welfare is the positive mental and physical state of being able to meet physiological and behavioral needs and expectations. This state varies according to the animal's perception of the situation" (source: ANSES)

💡 What is RAF used for?

RAF (Responsible Animal Fiber) is a group of 3 Textile Exchange labels (RWS, RMS, RAS) committed to animal welfare in the textile sector.

They guarantee at the level of breeding:

  • The respect of the principles of animal welfare (access to water and food, dignified breeding conditions, without psychological or physical suffering and a social environment adapted to its species)
  • Land management

and textile production:

  • The composition of RAF-certified fibers in the garment

  • Traceability throughout the supply chain (breeding, shearing, trader, washing, spinning, weaving, dyeing, finishing, manufacturing, distribution)

What do the RWS, RMS & RAS labels do?

  • RWS (Responsible Wool Standard) acts for the well-being of the sheep and a chain of custody from the certified wool to the final product. For this standard, the main production countries are China, Argentina and Australia.

  • RMS (Responsible Mohair Standard) guarantees the welfare of the goats for the production of Mohair. China is the main production country for this standard to date.

  • RAS (Responsible Alpaca Standard) allows the marketing of textiles whose alpaca welfare and land management are ensured at the farm level.

*Key figures for all CBs combined **

Between 2020 and 2021, the number of RWS certified operators has increased by 96%, from 386 to 757 in one year!

Over the same period, RMS certification has increased by 245% from 24 certified operators to 83!

*Certification bodies

A regular update

On June 30, 2021, the CCS v3 (Content Clair Standard) was updated by Textile Exchange for implementation before July 2022 on all Textile Exchange standards including RWS, RMS and RAS.

Source : Textile Exchange

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