Recently, more and more companies are consulting about GRS certification. As buyers require a GRS certification certificate to place orders, why has GRS suddenly become so popular?

The full name of GRS is Global Recycled Standard. It is a product standard that certifies the recycled materials in the product. The scope of application is very wide, whether it is plastic bottles, other plastic "garbage", or materials such as ceramics, leather, wood, paper, etc., as long as the products are made of recyclable materials, they can apply for GRS certification. The GRS standard was proposed by CU as early as 2008, but it has been lukewarm. However, in recent years, governments around the world have attached unprecedented importance to restricting plastics and using recycled materials, and major foreign buyers have also promoted renewable products. GRS can be said to conform to the trend of environmental protection. For enterprises, the earlier they get on board, the more customer orders they will receive.

However, it should be noted that if the company wants to apply for GRS certification, the upstream suppliers of recycled raw materials should also have GRS certification certificates. When conducting GRS certification for our company, their suppliers should provide GRS compliance certificates (scope certificate, abbreviated as SC) and transaction certificates (abbreviated as TC), while suppliers of recyclable materials at the source of the supply chain need to provide a Recycled Material Supplier Agreement and a Recycled Material Declaration Form, and conduct on-site verification if necessary.

The GRS certification audit mainly includes the following parts:

Regenerated ingredients: A product with more than 20% regenerated ingredients is an entry requirement for certification.

Social responsibility: If a company has successfully passed social responsibility audits such as BSCI, SA8000, GSCP, etc., it can be exempted from assessment after being evaluated by a certification body.

Chemical Management: Policies and guidelines for the management of chemicals used in the production process of GRS products.

Environmental management: Does the company have an environmental management system that controls energy use, water use, wastewater, exhaust gas, etc.

What are the basic requirements for GRS recyclability?

1： GRS material collection

Material collection refers to the collection and recycling of recycled materials into a new lifecycle after their original use has ended. If not collected and recycled, it will enter the waste process.

2： GRS post consumer materials

Materials generated by end product users, households, commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities that can no longer be used for their intended purposes. Including materials recovered from the distribution chain.

3： GRS pre consumption materials

Materials transferred from waste streams during the manufacturing process. Exclude the reuse of certain materials, such as rework, regrinding, or residual materials generated during processing that will be reused in the same manufacturing process.

4： GRS recycled materials

Materials that are not treated as waste or used for energy recovery, but are collected as materials and used as substitutes for new raw materials for recycling and processing.

5： GRS recycled material content

The proportion of recycled materials in products or packaging calculated by quality. Only before and after consumption are considered as recycled content.