AITEX is a leading organisation for issuing these approvals and certificates.

Textile recycling converts waste into new products or material for later use, prevents the loss of potentially useful materials, reduces the consumption of new raw material and cuts the use of energy, air pollution (from incineration) and water (from spillage).

The Recycled Claim Standard  (RCS), developed by Textile Exchange, is a chain of custody standard that maintains the identity of a recycled raw material and traces that raw material from entry into the final product. The RCS accredits the presence and quantity of recycled material in a final product by verifying the point of entry and its value chain by a third party. The RCS does not address other environmental aspects of the production process (such as energy and water consumption or the use of chemical products), quality issues, social responsibility or legal requirements. RCS users are recyclers, manufacturers, brands and retailers, certification bodies and organisations that support recycled materials initiatives.

The Global Recycle Standard  (GRS) was originally developed in 2008, but ownership passed to Textile Exchange (TE) on January 1, 2011. TE initiated a revision of the standard in early 2012 to make the standard more robust and to include new requirements. The GRS aims to meet the needs of companies seeking to verify the recycled content of their products (both finished and intermediate) by a third party and verify responsible social, environmental and chemical practices in their production. The standard covers the processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling, trade and distribution of all products made with a minimum of 20% recycled material.