How certified material is managed along the supply chain? What claims can a brand make?
Introductory Definitions
Chain of Custody (CoC) |
Chain of Custody Model |
Traceability System |
All the evidence produced along the supply chain when goods change ownership. | How this evidence is linked with the claim made on the final product. | What demonstrates the CoC and applies the CoC model. |
‘The custodial sequence that occurs as ownership or control of the material supply is transferred from one custodian to another in the supply chain’ WWF | The general term to describe the approach taken to demonstrate the link (physical or administrative) between the verified unit of production and the claim about the final product. | The system that demonstrates the CoC by recording and following the movement of products, parts and materials as they come from suppliers, are processed and ultimately distributed. |
(Source: ISEAL CoC document)
In the context of textile supply chain, a Chain of Custody is the chronological record of a product’s origin, components, processes, and handlers throughout its lifecycle.
In general, 5 Chain of Custody models are defined, differentiated by their level of physical presence. They are in order: Identity Preserved, Segregated, Controlled blending, Mass balance, Book and claim. Identity Preserved being the model with the highest physical presence, which means that you know the origin of the material contained in the product.
The most frequently used CoC models in the fashion or textile supply chains are Product Segregation and Mass Balance. Product Segregation is a model with a higher physical presence than Mass Balance. Below we describe the two models. The first release of the CMC solution (July 2022) supports the Product Segregation model only, Mass Balance will be supported in the second release.
Product Segregation Chain of Custody model
In the Product Segregation model, it is required that the certified material is kept physically separated from the conventional material throughout the production, from the fiber to the finished product, during transport, storage, production etc.
When using the Product Segregation CoC model, specific claims can be made as the brand knows that the product has only been made with certified content. No blending of similar materials is allowed under this Chain of Custody model. Of course, if then the product has multiple components, it cannot be claimed that the product is 100% certified but we can refer to a certain material that will be 100% certified.
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Terminology to use: “this product” “contains” “is made with” “comes from” Example of claims: “This product contains 100% recycled ocean plastic” “This product comes from GOTS organic certified farms” “Made with recycled ocean plastic” | Don’t mention a specific farm as the source of certified material. This is not guaranteed under the segregation model.
“This product is made with recycled polyester from TrusTrace’s recycling facility in Stockholm” |
DOs 
DONTs
Mass Balance Chain of Custody model
Mass Balance CoC allows for certified and uncertified materials to mix along the supply chain. In the output of the Mass Balance Chain of Custody, the percentage of certified materials present in the product is not known and can vary from 0 to 100. If the input is 25% certified material, the only thing known is that the products will on average contain 25% of recycled input and that, the output as a whole will contain 25% recycled material. Thus, there is a much lower physical presence than in the Product Segregation CoC model and the brand cannot make as precise claims.
But if Mass Balance is used these specific claims cannot be made as there is no guarantee that each product contains exact X % of the desired characteristic, but rather that the product contains the desired characteristics on average, over a specific period. Therefore, here are the good practices to follow to make claims under a mass balance model:
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Terminology to use: “product” (here meaning the product in general) “sourced from”, “contributes to”, “supports the production of”, mentioning it is a mass balance model. 3 levels of claims possible: example with 25% certified input Generic claim: Can be made on all the products “Product that supports the production of GOTS organic certified cotton” Specific claim – Volume: Can be made on 25% of the products in volume “Product sourced from GOTS organic certified cotton farms” Specific claim – Percentage: Can be made on all the products “25% of our product is sourced from GOTS organic certified cotton farms” | Don’t make product segregation claims: meaning to refer to this product or use the terms “contains” or “made with”.
“This product contains 25% organic certified material”
“Made with organic material” |
DOs 
DONTs