The Materials Matter Standard: what replaces GRS and RCS, and when
If your supplier requirements name GRS or RCS, they will need rewriting. Textile Exchange is merging both standards, along with several others, into a single framework. The dates, what changes, and what to amend in a procurement policy.
This transition is under way. The timetable below is the one published by Textile Exchange at the time of writing and may be adjusted by them.
If your supplier requirements specifically name GRS or RCS, they will need rewriting. Textile Exchange is merging both standards, along with several others, into a single framework called the Materials Matter Standard, and certificates issued under the existing standards will eventually stop being renewed.
Existing certificates remain valid throughout the transition. Nothing a supplier holds today loses its value. The question is procedural rather than substantive, and it is easier to handle now than during a renewal.
The timetable
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 12 December 2025 | Publication of the standard and its final criteria |
| 1 April 2026 | Publication of the transition policy |
| 31 December 2026 | The standard becomes effective, audits may begin |
| 31 December 2027 | The standard becomes mandatory, legacy certificates are no longer renewed |
| 31 March 2029 | Withdrawal of the remaining legacy scope certificates |
| 14 April 2029 | Certification bodies stop issuing legacy transaction certificates |
Textile Exchange (new tab) confirms the three central dates: criteria published on 12 December 2025, standard effective on 31 December 2026, mandatory from 31 December 2027. Organisations may continue using the existing standards until then. One useful precision on the effective date: from 31 December 2026, audits may be conducted under the new standard, provided the certification body is licensed to do so.
The later dates come from the transition policy (new tab) and concern certified sites rather than buyers, but they explain why some certificates will remain in circulation well after the mandatory date.
Which standards are affected
The first version of the Materials Matter Standard covers recycled materials currently certified under GRS and RCS, along with the Responsible Animal Fibre framework covering wool, alpaca and mohair.
The transition policy is explicit on this point: from the mandatory date, the new standard supersedes the Global Recycled Standard, the Recycled Claim Standard, the Responsible Wool Standard, the Responsible Mohair Standard and the Responsible Alpaca Standard, which are not to be used for audits conducted after that date.
Not everything moves at once. Some Textile Exchange standards remain outside the scope of the first version and continue under their existing framework. For a merchandise buyer, the point that matters is that recycled content certification is squarely inside the transition.
The scale explains the length of the timetable. Textile Exchange states that more than 30 certification bodies (new tab) in its system certify 90,000 sites.
What changes in substance
The stated purpose is to connect certification to measurable outcomes rather than to compliance alone, under a unified system covering raw material production and primary processing.
Two structural details are worth knowing for a procurement policy.
Materials cannot be mixed across the two systems during the transition. The transition policy (new tab) states that RCS certified materials may not be used as inputs in Materials Matter certified products, and that they must remain separate and segregated. In practice, a supply chain moves as a whole rather than piece by piece, which explains why a supplier may transition later than you expect.
Social and environmental criteria become modular. Tier 1 to 3 organisations wishing to keep those criteria within their certification scope will be able to add them as separate modules, which Textile Exchange plans to publish during 2027. This is a notable change from the GRS, where the additional criteria were built into the standard itself. A Materials Matter certificate will therefore need reading for its scope, rather than being assumed to carry everything the GRS carried.
Textile Exchange has also published, alongside the criteria, a claims and labelling policy specific to the new standard, governing how certification may be communicated.
What a buyer can do now
Nothing urgent, and three things to handle before the end of 2027.
- Rewrite policies that name a standard. A supplier requirement saying GRS certified will eventually point to a standard that is no longer issued. Wording that names the outcome rather than the certificate ages better: certified recycled content under a Textile Exchange standard, with the certificate number and percentage recorded.
- Record the certificate rather than the standard name. If your file holds the number, the issuing body, the scope and the validity dates, the transition is invisible to you. If it only holds the phrase GRS certified, you will have to go back to the supplier.
- Expect suppliers to transition at different times. Because materials cannot be mixed across the two systems, a supplier may hold legacy certificates well into the window while its chain aligns. That is not a warning sign in itself. It is the date on the certificate that answers.
Why it is worth knowing before it arrives
Standards transitions rarely enter merchandise conversations, because merchandise is usually bought quickly and documented afterwards. The result is that a policy written in 2024 goes unexamined until the day an auditor asks about a certificate that no longer exists in that form.
The work involved is small. Reading the certificate rather than the label, and writing policies around what is certified rather than around a brand name, is enough to make this transition a non event.
Frequently asked questions
Is GRS being discontinued?
GRS is being merged into the Materials Matter Standard. Existing certificates remain valid, and after 31 December 2027 certificates issued under GRS are no longer renewed.
When does the Materials Matter Standard take effect?
The criteria were published on 12 December 2025. The standard becomes effective on 31 December 2026, from which date certification audits may begin, and mandatory on 31 December 2027.
Which standards does it replace?
The first version covers recycled materials certified under GRS and RCS, along with the Responsible Animal Fibre framework covering wool, alpaca and mohair.
Are existing GRS and RCS certificates still valid?
Yes. Certificates issued under the current standards remain valid throughout the transition period, and some legacy scope certificates persist until 2029 under the transition policy.
Can RCS certified and Materials Matter certified materials be mixed?
No. The transition policy requires that RCS certified materials are not used as inputs in Materials Matter certified products, and that the two remain separate and segregated.
What should a procurement policy say instead of “GRS certified”?
Name the outcome and the evidence: certified recycled content under a Textile Exchange standard, with the certificate number, scope, percentage and validity dates recorded.