Reading certifications in the fashion and clothing industry can seem difficult. That's why we want to list the most important ones for us and what they concretely mean for our garments, always created with the goal of minimizing environmental impact and maximizing social impact.

Greenwashing or real positive impact?

First, what are certifications for a fashion brand, and why do they exist?

The economic and legislative frameworks of each country influence their production methods, which can differ significantly. They pertain to materials, processes, and attention to the environment and people. Therefore, a universal language that limits the development of self-referential mechanisms and the potential for greenwashing is useful for ensuring universally recognized standards and criteria.

It’s important to note that certifications for a company come with a cost. The certifying bodies are businesses themselves and pursue profit goals. Therefore, the possibility of a conflict of interest cannot be entirely ruled out.

Material Certifications

That said, certifications remain the only guarantees for purchasing sustainable materials. So, what are the certifications we’ve chosen for our recycled materials, and which ones do we consider the most accredited and significant?

GRS - Global Recycled Standard

Probably the most important one for Rifò. 99% of the materials we use have this certification issued by the Italian body ICEA. A textile material with GRS ensures that a product contains at least 20% recycled materials and is produced under strict environmental and social criteria.

RCS - Recycled Claim Standard

Unlike GRS, the Recycled Claim Standard certification focuses only on the origin and the amount of recycled material in a finished product, which must be at least 5%. Less restrictive than GRS, RCS places far fewer controls on the chemical impact of textile recycling.

RWS - Responsible Wool Standard

This certification, particularly for virgin wool, ensures that animals are not mistreated. Specifically, it addresses mulesing, common in intensive farming, where the tail and part of the anal and perianal tissue of Merino sheep are removed.

The RWS certification is present in our products when the yarn contains percentages of virgin material, such as in our light cashmere, which is finer than classic cashmere and contains 30% virgin cashmere to create longer fibers.

Oeko-Tex Standard 100

One of the most widespread certifications in the textile and clothing industry, Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certifies that textiles and textile products do not contain harmful chemicals for human health. The label is globally recognized and applies to various products, from clothing to home textiles.

Organic Content Standard

This certification verifies the presence and quantity of organic material in a finished product. The OCS traces the journey of organic raw materials from their origin to the final product along the supply chain but does not address environmental or social impacts.

The cotton we use, which is 50% recycled and 50% organic, has this certification.

Certifications for the supply chain

There are also certifications focused not just on materials but on how a product is made. For example:

Fair Trade

The Fair Trade certification extends along the entire supply chain to ensure fair working conditions, from raw material sourcing to processing and packaging, ensuring fair wages, safe working conditions, and sustainable business practices.

We are currently working to achieve this certification for Rifò in 2025 and will keep you updated on our progress.

Audits and certifying bodies

Alternatively, to demonstrate transparency and ethics in production processes, there are organizations that certify companies with a rating. For our supply chain, for example, we chose Bureau Veritas, which conducted on-site investigations throughout our supply chain, assigning scores in various areas—from workplace lighting and heating to the fairness of supplier contracts. 80% of our suppliers were compliant with these standards, and we are working to improve the remaining 20% that did not fully meet compliance initially.

You can read more about the audit results here.

Corporate certifications

Corporate certifications, on the other hand, do not certify product or production standards but rather the internal life of a company: whether it is an inclusive environment, how employees are compensated, what benefits are provided, and how committed the company is to environmental sustainability.

In this regard, we are proud to mention the B Corp certification, which has accompanied us since November 2020. B Corp is a non-profit movement that certifies companies with high environmental and social standards, with more than 4,000 certified companies across 77 countries today.

Since 2020, our B Corp score has increased from 99.9 to 123.7, thanks largely to actions we’ve taken in corporate welfare and flexibility to improve working conditions at Rifò. You can read more about this in our Sustainability Report.

How to evaluate a brand based on certifications

Certifications are useful both for consumers and for brands.

For a consumer who understands how to read them, certifications can help assess a brand’s commitment and identify potential greenwashing. For companies, third-party certifiers provide benchmarks against other organizations, serving as "judges" of their efforts. We’ve often used these evaluations as tools to set new goals and strive for continuous improvement.

However, we strongly believe that certifications aren’t everything. We like the idea of involving our community directly, showing artisans at work, and demonstrating how an old sweater can become a new sustainable fiber. It’s the simplest, most concrete, and effective way to show our transparency and sustainability in real life. We do this, for example, with our Textile Tours, dedicated tours that we organize together with other companies in the textile district to let the community discover the whole process of clothing recycling.

For us, the greatest certification is being able to open the doors of our offices to anyone at any time.

In conclusion, a recycled and certified product, for example, may not necessarily be sustainable if produced on a large scale, promoting the system of overproduction. So, while it’s good to know how to read certifications, it’s even better to develop a critical mindset toward the fashion industry.

What do you think? Has this article helped you navigate the world of environmental certifications?

Let us know in the comments.