Materials Matter Standard (MMS) Transition Guide

The "Unified Standard" project, led by Textile Exchange to enhance transparency and sustainability in the textile industry, has come into effect under the name Materials Matter Standard (MMS).

As ETKO, we are here to ensure that you seamlessly transition your successful certification processes—carried out for years under standards such as GRS, RCS, OCS, and RWS—into this new and comprehensive structure. This guide has been prepared to outline the steps your business needs to take during the transition and to summarize the key changes introduced by the new standard.

1. What is the Materials Matter Standard (MMS) and What Does It Change?

In the current system, separate certifications (OCS, GRS, RWS, etc.) were conducted for organic, recycled, or responsible animal fibers. MMS consolidates all these standards under a single umbrella with harmonized criteria.

What Changes in Our Lives with MMS?

• Single Audit, Multiple Scope: If your business uses both organic cotton and recycled polyester, you can now certify all these materials with a single MMS audit.

• Holistic Sustainability: Not only material content (traceability) but also climate, biodiversity, social compliance, and chemical management will be audited under the same roof with clearer and more measurable criteria.

• Unified Chain of Custody (CoC): Supply chain traceability is now linked to a single standardized set of CoC rules (the new MMS CoC structure, replacing the Content Claim Standard), regardless of the material type.

2. Comparison: Legacy System vs. MMS

3. Step-by-Step Transition Process for Your Business

Transitioning to MMS is not just a document renewal; it is a system integration. Currently certified businesses should follow these steps:

Step 1: Conduct a Gap Analysis

• Compare your existing GRS/OCS quality manuals, social compliance procedures, and environmental policies with MMS requirements.

• Review new additions, especially in the Climate/Nature, Social Responsibility, and Chemical Management modules.

Step 2: System and Documentation Updates

• Update your chain of custody (traceability) procedures according to the MMS structure.

• Align your supplier assessment and input approval forms with the new standard.

• Train your employees on the new system, waste management, and data entry.

Step 3: Contact ETKO and Update Your Application

• Submit your MMS Transition Audit request to the ETKO planning department before your current certificate expires or during your annual surveillance audit planning.

• Specify in the application form which raw material modules (Organic, Recycled, etc.) you wish to be audited for.

Step 4: Transition Audit and Certification

• Following the MMS audit conducted at your facility by ETKO auditors, close any identified non-conformities (if any) and receive your new term certificate in MMS format.

4. Why Should You Act Now?

• Competitive Advantage in the Market: Global brands have already begun demanding MMS compliance from their supply chains. An early transition strengthens your hand for new orders.

• Cost and Time Savings: Focusing on a single system instead of multiple standards reduces your internal operational burden.

• Compliance with Legal Regulations: You will be prepared for the European Union Green Deal and Eco-design regulations in advance.

As ETKO, we are not just an auditing body but a reliable partner in achieving your global sustainability goals. For any questions regarding the transition process, application forms, and detailed standard documents, please contact our expert team.