For textile mills sustainability certifications have become an unavoidable cost of doing business. Yet what started as a push for better environmental and social compliance has turned into a spiraling expense – one that benefits certification agencies far more than the suppliers they audit. 

Paying to Play

Today apparel brands require their vendors to maintain multiple certifications, which are required system upgrades, face ongoing renewals, and consultant fees — all while trying to keep product prices competitive.  Making matters worse, customers often require different certificates forcing mills to fund an extensive portfolio of often overlapping certificates.