Textile Exchange has revealed a new unified standard system as part of an overarching shift in approach at the production-focused non-profit aimed to better meet current industry demands. Unveiled at the Textile Exchange Conference 2024, the Materials Matter Standard, which had initially been introduced as a pilot, puts to the forefront a mission of connecting climate and nature outcomes with practices at the start of the supply chain.
The global certification model had previously undergone pilot testing throughout 2024, and comes as part of Textile Exchange’s efforts to strengthen its focus on “impacts on the ground”. Now with a new name and logo, the standard sets out to adopt a “holistic set of regenerative outcomes”, a press release noted, allowing producers to “demonstrate conformance based on the unique contest of their farms and operations”, while still aligning with regenerative agriculture practices, such as soil health and biodiversity.
Textile Exchange also said that the standard intends to connect certified raw materials to a globally scaled chain of custody standard–the organisation’s Content Claim Standard–and traceability system, which will provide the tools for the Matters Matter Standard to verify and track certified materials. In turn, this hopes to ensure claims are transparent and substantiated, “contributing to a more robust and credible certification process”.
In its pilot phase, Textile Exchange said that it was able to assess key questions around the feasibility of criteria, particularly in regards to how certification bodies can prepare to audit against the standard. The organisation will publish the learnings of these activities to help refine the criteria and related policies in the final version of the standard, set for completion in mid-2025.
In a release, CEO of Textile Exchange, Claire Bergkamp, said: “The new Materials Matter Standard is more than a certification; it’s a commitment to creating a future where every material tells a story of positive impact — for the planet, for communities, and for ecosystems. By integrating practice-based criteria with measurable outcomes, we provide a system that rewards best practice on the ground and that brands, retailers, and consumers can trust.”