SFA Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard

What is the SFA Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard?

The Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) is a global initiative established to ensure the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of cashmere — a luxury fiber —particularly in regions like Mongolia and China. The SFA Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard is a transparent supply chain tracking system that ensures sustainable cashmere sourced from SFA-certified farms and nomadic herders is monitored throughout scouring, dehairing, spinning, weaving, and final garment manufacturing without being lost or mixed up with conventional cashmere. It is one of the most reliable ways for luxury fashion brands to verify the origin of their cashmere.

Key Technical Criteria of SFA CoC Certification

The SFA Chain of Custody accommodates varying supply chain capabilities and brand demands by offering two primary traceability models. The technical framework can be summarized as follows:

• Traceability Models:

  • Segregation: A model where SFA-certified cashmere is kept completely physically separated from conventional (non-certified) cashmere throughout all production and storage stages. It provides 100% physical traceability back to the source.

  • Mass Balance: A model where SFA-certified cashmere is allowed to be mixed with conventional cashmere in the production line, but the system strictly ensures that the volume of SFA cashmere entering the facility mathematically matches the volume of SFA-claimed products sold.

• Chain of Custody Operations and Documentation:

  • SFA-certified fibers are documented with official records at every change of ownership in the supply chain (e.g., from spinner to weaver).

  • Traceability is rigorously audited through the facilities' inventory management, invoicing systems, and input-output reconciliations. This eliminates the risk of greenwashing and the adulteration (mixing with inferior fibers) commonly found in luxury fibers.

• Out of Scope Areas:

  • The SFA CoC standard focuses solely on the physical chain of custody of the material. Ecological and social audits at the manufacturing facilities, such as wastewater treatment, chemical restrictions, or labor rights, are not directly covered by this specific standard (these issues are addressed in the SFA's farm-level standards or other specific textile standards).

Who this standard is for

The SFA Chain of Custody (CoC) standard is for processors, spinners, knitters, weavers, garment makers, and traders that handle SFA-certified cashmere and need documented custody from incoming fibre to outgoing product. This page is CoC only. Farm-level SFA (herder, animal welfare, rangeland) is a different module and is out of this CoC page’s scope. SFA CoC is not GRS and not RWS.

What is certified

• Chain of custody for SFA cashmere from incoming certified material to outgoing product
• Segregation versus mass-balance models as SFA CoC allows
• Transaction certificates and shipping documents for certified lots
• Volume reconciliation of SFA cashmere through the facility
• Trader or brand entities that take legal ownership and sell with an SFA CoC claim
• Identification of SFA versus conventional cashmere in stores and production

What this standard does not cover

• Farm / herder SFA certification (animal welfare, grazing, rangeland — a different module)
• Recycled cashmere content claims (those are GRS/RCS, not SFA CoC)
• Sheep-wool animal-welfare claims (RWS) or other non-cashmere farm standards
• Non-cashmere fibres except as allowed in blended products under SFA CoC rules

Questions buyers and operators usually ask

What is the practical difference between segregation and mass balance?

Segregation keeps SFA cashmere physically separate from conventional cashmere; the outgoing article can be identified as made from that certified input. Mass balance tracks certified volume in a ledger and allows mixing, with claims limited to the credit you hold. Do not print a 100% physically segregated claim if you are certified only for mass balance. Confirm the model on the supplier’s scope before you write hangtag copy.

Why is farm SFA not in scope on this CoC page?

Farm SFA audits herders and grassland/animal-welfare practices. CoC starts when certified cashmere enters processing or trade. A spinning mill’s SFA CoC certificate does not mean the mill is a certified farm, and a farm certificate does not replace CoC at the mill. Buyers who need both farm origin and processing custody must see both certificate types in the chain.

Is SFA the same as GRS recycled cashmere or RWS?

No. GRS/RCS verify recycled content and their own CoC. RWS is a sheep-wool animal-welfare and land-management standard. SFA CoC is custody of SFA cashmere. A GRS recycled-cashmere yarn is not an SFA claim; an RWS wool garment is not cashmere SFA. Do not swap logos.

Do we need a transaction certificate for every shipment?

If you take ownership of SFA-claimed goods and the scheme requires a TC (or equivalent shipping document) for that transfer, yes. Downstream customers typically cannot claim SFA on a lot that arrived without the document. Missing TCs on export lots are a common non-conformity even when the site certificate is valid.

What to have ready before the audit

• Incoming SFA CoC certificates and transaction certificates from suppliers
• Documented CoC model in use (segregation or mass balance) and the procedure that implements it
• Mass-balance ledger or segregation records matching production
• Production records linking input lots to output articles
• List of subcontractors that handle SFA cashmere and whether they are in scope
• Claim and label approval for the CoC model actually certified

Frequent findings

• Putting a farm SFA logo on a garment that only has CoC and no certified fibre volume behind it
• Using mass balance but printing “100% SFA segregated” on pack
• Treating SFA as GRS recycled cashmere or as RWS wool
• Missing transaction certificates on lots leaving the site
• Blending conventional cashmere without recording the ratio in the CoC system