A supplier sends a PDF and a line in the pitch: “GRS certified”. The line is easy to write. The PDF is easy to design. Neither one proves that a certificate exists, that it is current, or that it covers the product on the purchase order.
The good news is that a GRS scope certificate is one of the few claims in flexible packaging that a buyer can check independently, without asking the supplier for anything. This article shows where the public record lives, which fields matter, and how to spot the four failure modes that account for most of the bad certificates in circulation.
What a GRS certificate actually is
The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) is owned by Textile Exchange (TE), a non-profit standards body. TE does not certify companies itself. It accredits certification bodies (CBs), and those bodies audit facilities and issue the documents.
Two documents matter, and they answer different questions.
| Document | What it proves | Who issues it |
|---|---|---|
| Scope Certificate (SC) | The facility is certified for specific processes and product categories | The CB |
| Transaction Certificate (TC) | A specific shipment contained a stated amount of certified recycled material | The CB, per shipment |
An SC is a capability statement. A TC is a shipment statement. A supplier can hold a valid SC and still ship material without a TC. If your compliance file needs proof for a particular delivery, the SC alone will not cover it.
TE publishes SC data from its accredited CBs in a public directory. That directory, not the supplier’s PDF, is the record to check.
The five-minute check
Step 1: open the directory
Go to the Textile Exchange certified company search: Textile Exchange certified company search.
The page draws on scope certificate data supplied by active certification bodies. It is free and requires no account.
Step 2: search by certificate number, not by company name
Every GRS scope certificate has a TE ID, formatted as TE- followed by eight digits. Ask the supplier for it, then search that number.
Searching by company name works too, but company names are where the first failure mode hides: trading companies, group entities and factories often share similar names, and the certified entity may not be the entity that quoted you.
Step 3: compare five fields
Open the result and check the detail view. Five fields decide whether the certificate is relevant to your order.
| Field | What to check |
|---|---|
| Legal entity name | Matches the company on your purchase order or contract |
| Facility address | Matches the site that will produce your material |
| Certification body | A CB accredited by TE for GRS |
| Expiry date | In the future, with enough runway to cover your delivery |
| Product scope | Includes the material and process you are buying |
If the legal entity is a trading company and the facility is a different address, that is not automatically a problem, but it changes what you need: the invoice, the TC and the shipping documents must connect the certified facility to the material you receive.
Step 4: read the product scope, not the headline
“GRS certified” on a certificate does not mean every product from that facility is certified. The scope lists product categories and, in many cases, specific materials.
A facility can be certified for recycled polyester film and not for recycled polyethylene film. A facility can be certified for post-consumer material and not for pre-consumer material. The certificate is valid; the claim is simply broader than the scope.
This is the field buyers skip most often, and it is the one that matters when a customer asks you to prove recycled content on a specific SKU.
Step 5: check the label grade
GRS has two content tiers, and they carry different claims.
Products with 50 percent or more certified recycled content can carry the GRS label. Products between 20 and 50 percent can be certified and described, but cannot use the GRS logo. The directory entry shows the tier, and the wording on your product page has to match it.
A supplier that markets “GRS” on a product sitting at 30 percent recycled content is overstating the claim, even if the certificate is genuine.
The four failure modes
These account for most of the problems found in supplier documentation packs.
1. Expired or suspended certificate. The expiry date is in the directory. Certificates lapse quietly, and a supplier can keep circulating a PDF that stopped being valid last quarter. Check the date on the directory, not the date in the PDF.
2. Scope does not cover the product. The certificate is real, the product is outside it. This shows up most often with material types (for example, a polyester scope quoted for a polyethylene order) and with process steps (a film converter quoting for bag making).
3. Certified entity is not the supplier. The certificate belongs to a factory or a trading company that is not the entity invoicing you. Legitimate chain-of-custody arrangements exist, but they require the TC to trace the material through each hand. Without that trace, the certificate does not support your claim.
4. No transaction certificate. The SC proves the facility can produce certified material. The TC proves that the shipment you received did. For export compliance files, buyers increasingly ask for both.
What the check does not tell you
The public directory confirms that a certificate exists and what it covers. It does not confirm product quality, delivery performance, or whether a particular roll meets your specification.
It also does not replace the audit report. The SC summary tells you the scope; the audit behind it is what the CB holds. If your compliance process needs more than the directory entry, request the current SC copy from the supplier and confirm it against the directory.
One practical limit: the SC document itself usually sits behind the certification body’s client portal, so it is not something a buyer can open from a link. The directory entry is the part you can verify without a login, and it is enough to catch the four failure modes above.
A note on the standards transition
TE is consolidating its current standards into the Materials Matter Standard. The new standard was published on 12 December 2025, becomes effective on 31 December 2026, and becomes mandatory on 31 December 2027.
Certificates issued under GRS remain valid through their stated expiry date during the transition. If you are building a compliance file that has to survive into 2028, check whether the certificate you are relying on will still be recognised at the point your material ships, and ask the supplier how they are planning the migration.
Where OLUNRO sits
For reference, and because a worked example is easier to check than a description, here is our own entry.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| TE ID | TE-00352946 |
| Legal entity | QINGDAO OLUNRO CORPORATION |
| Certification body | Intertek |
| Standard | GRS |
| Expiry date | 7 September 2027 |
| Product scope | Recycled PE, PP, PET, PA and PU films, post-consumer and pre-consumer, in the 20 to 50 percent and 50 percent plus tiers |
You can run the same five steps above on that number. If the directory entry and this table disagree, the directory wins.
Checklist
Use this before you approve a GRS supplier.
- Certificate number received and searched in the TE directory
- Legal entity matches the contracting party
- Facility address matches the producing site
- Certification body accredited for GRS
- Expiry date covers the delivery window
- Product scope includes the material and process
- Content tier matches the label claim on the product page
- Transaction certificate requested for the shipment
- Standards transition considered if the file runs past 2027
FAQ
Is the directory the same as a certificate? No. The directory is TE’s record of scope certificate data reported by certification bodies. The certificate is the document issued by the CB. The directory is the part a buyer can check without a login.
Can I verify a certificate without the supplier’s cooperation? Yes, if you have the TE ID or the legal entity name. That is the point of the public directory.
Does a GRS certificate prove the material in my shipment is recycled? It proves the facility is certified for the scope. The shipment-level proof is the transaction certificate.
What if the certificate expires during our contract? Treat it as a live risk. Track the expiry date and ask for the renewed certificate before it lapses; a lapsed certificate can break a compliance file after the material has shipped.
Is GRS the only scheme I should accept? It is the scheme most often requested in export markets for recycled content. Other schemes exist and some count material differently, particularly on pre-consumer content. Check which scheme your customer’s obligation recognises before you accept a substitute.