Sustainability has become an increasingly important consideration when choosing corporate gifts. However, determining which products offer the strongest environmental or social credentials is not always straightforward.
Terms such as recycled, organic, responsible or fair trade can mean different things if they are not supported by verifiable documentation. This is where certifications come in. They help provide evidence through defined standards, traceability systems, independent audits or checks carried out by external organisations.
Not all certifications assess the same aspects. Some focus on the origin of materials, while others verify recycled content, the substances used during manufacturing or working conditions within the supply chain.
It is also important to distinguish between certifications applied directly to products and certifications, assessments or audits relating to the companies that manufacture or supply them. In this article, we look at both groups and explain what information each one provides. But first, let us address a fundamental question.
Why are certifications important?
Certifications are a way of turning certain environmental or social claims into verifiable information. Rather than simply stating that a product is eco-friendly or responsibly made, they help establish which specific characteristic has been assessed and against which standard.
Depending on their scope, certifications can help to:
- Verify the recycled or organic content of a material.
- Trace raw materials throughout the supply chain.
- Verify the responsible sourcing of wood, paper or cotton.
- Monitor the presence of potentially harmful substances.
- Assess the working conditions in a factory.
- Evaluate a supplier’s environmental, social and ethical management.
Therefore, the fact that a product is certified does not necessarily mean that it is sustainable in every respect. A certification may assess only one specific aspect, such as the composition of a fabric, while other factors, including packaging, transport or the place of manufacture, may fall outside its scope.
For this reason, it is important to understand what each standard actually verifies and to avoid treating all certifications as if they are all the same.
Product Certifications
Supplier Certifications
Product certifications can assess materials, their traceability, manufacturing processes, chemical safety, animal welfare and the social conditions associated with the sourcing of raw materials.
The certifications and programmes we cover include GOTS, Fairtrade, FSC, PEFC, GRS, RDS, UTZ, RCS, OCS, OEKO-TEX, Cocoa Horizons and PETA-approved certifications. Read on to find out more about each one!
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is one of the most comprehensive standards for textile products made from organic fibres.
Its scope goes beyond confirming that a fabric contains organic cotton or another organically produced fibre. It also sets requirements for processing and manufacturing stages, material traceability, and certain environmental and social criteria.
For a product to be marketed with the GOTS label, the companies involved in the relevant stages of the supply chain must meet the standard’s requirements and undergo the prescribed checks.
On the other hand, Fairtrade sets social, economic and environmental criteria for different participants in the supply chain.
One of its main aims is to improve conditions for farmers and workers, promote fairer trading relationships and encourage sustainable agricultural production. Compliance with its standards is verified through audits carried out by FLOCERT, an independent certification body.
The FSC certification is associated with products made from forest-based materials, such as wood, paper, cardboard and cork.
Through its chain of custody system, FSC enables certified materials to be traced from their origin through the various stages of processing, distribution and sale.
Certified companies must meet requirements relating to the sourcing, processing, labelling and sale of forest products. The system also includes external checks carried out by certification bodies.
PEFC is another international forest certification system.
Its chain of custody certification sets out the requirements that companies must meet to demonstrate the traceability of wood and other forest-based materials (such as paper and cardboard) throughout the supply chain.
During the certification process, an external body assesses whether the organisation meets PEFC’s requirements. If the assessment is successful, the company can obtain chain of custody certification and use the relevant claims and labels in accordance with the scheme’s rules.
The Global Recycled Standard certification sets requirements for the independent certification of recycled materials and their chain of custody. It also includes requirements relating to production processes and certain social, environmental and chemical aspects.
Its traceability system allows recycled materials to be tracked through the various stages of the supply chain. This provides additional assurance compared with generic claims that simply state that a product contains recycled materials.
The Responsible Down Standard focuses on the welfare of ducks and geese used to obtain down and feathers. Its aim is to promote better animal welfare practices and maintain material traceability throughout the supply chain.
It is most commonly found on jackets, gilets, blankets and other textile products containing down filling.
However, it is worth noting that RDS does not provide a comprehensive environmental assessment of the product. Its scope focuses on the origin and supply chain of the down, as well as animal welfare conditions.
UTZ was a sustainable agriculture certification programme covering raw materials such as cocoa, coffee and tea.
Rainforest Alliance and UTZ merged in 2018. Since then, the former UTZ programme has evolved into the Rainforest Alliance certification programme, which gradually replaced the previous schemes. However, the UTZ label can still be found on certain products and in historical documentation.
The Recycled Claim Standard verifies the presence and amount of recycled material used in a product.
Like GRS, it uses independent certification and a chain of custody system. However, its scope is more limited, as it focuses primarily on verifying claims relating to recycled content. RCS does not include all the social, environmental and chemical requirements covered by GRS. Therefore, although the two certifications provide related information, they are not equivalent.
For corporate gifts, RCS can help confirm that the percentage of recycled material stated by the manufacturer is supported by a traceability system.
The Organic Content Standard verifies the presence and quantity of organic material in a product. Specifically, it tracks the raw material from its origin to the finished product through a chain of custody. Its primary purpose is to substantiate claims about organic content.
Unlike GOTS, OCS does not assess all the environmental and social processes associated with textile production as comprehensively. It is therefore useful for verifying organic content, but should not be interpreted as a comprehensive assessment of the entire manufacturing process.
OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 is a certification for textiles that have been tested for harmful substances.
Testing takes into account the intended use of the article. Requirements are stricter for products that come into more direct or prolonged contact with the skin.
This certification does not indicate that a material is recycled, organic or renewable. Its purpose is to test the product and its components against the established criteria and limit values.
Cocoa Horizons is not a conventional certification, but a sustainability programme focused on the cocoa supply chain.
The programme focuses on three main areas: farmers’ prosperity and resilience, the protection of human rights and communities, and environmental sustainability.
Its presence provides information about the origin of the cocoa and the initiatives carried out in producing communities. However, it does not represent a comprehensive assessment of all the impacts associated with the finished product.
PETA-Approved Vegan helps identify clothing, accessories and other products made without animal-derived materials, such as leather, fur, silk, feathers or bone.
To use the logo, a company must submit the required documentation and relevant declarations of assurance. Suppliers or manufacturers of the materials involved must also complete a declaration.
The approval can apply to a specific product, a vegan collection or a brand, depending on the scope of the authorisation granted.
However, it is important to note that this approval does not imply that the product has undergone a comprehensive environmental assessment. It primarily confirms that the authorised products meet the programme’s requirements regarding the use of animal-derived materials.
· Supplier Certifications, Assessments and Audits
Supplier certifications, on the other hand, assess the companies that manufacture or supply corporate gifts.
This section covers corporate certifications, ESG assessments, environmental management systems, labour standards and social audits of factories.
Not all these tools are certifications. For example, EcoVadis is a sustainability assessment, while amfori BSCI and SMETA are social audit systems or methodologies. This distinction is important when interpreting what each one demonstrates.
The assessments and standards covered include the different EcoVadis medal levels, B Corp, SA8000, amfori BSCI, SMETA, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.
EcoVadis assesses the quality of a company’s sustainability management system.
The assessment covers four main themes: environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. The result is expressed as a score and, where the relevant requirements are met, a medal.
EcoVadis medals are not certifications or product labels. Nor do they indicate that all the products sold by a company are sustainable. The recognition applies to the assessed entity and reflects the quality of its management system at the time of the assessment. These medals are valid for 12 months and depend on the company’s position relative to the other organisations assessed.
Following an EcoVadis assessment, companies may qualify for the following medals:
EcoVadis Platinum: The highest level of recognition within the medal system. It is awarded to companies ranked among the highest-scoring organisations and reflects a particularly well-developed sustainability management system. This medal provides information about advanced policies, actions, controls and results in the areas assessed by EcoVadis.
- EcoVadis Gold: Recognises companies with a high level of sustainability management. It indicates that the supplier has a well-developed structure for managing its main environmental, social and ethical impacts and risks.
- EcoVadis Silver: Identifies companies with a solid sustainability management system. This medal demonstrates that the supplier has been independently assessed and achieved a strong ranking among the organisations evaluated.
- EcoVadis Bronze: Represents the entry level within the medal system. Although it ranks below Platinum, Gold and Silver, it demonstrates that the assessment has been completed and that the requirements for external recognition have been met.
- Company without a medal: A company may complete the EcoVadis assessment without receiving a medal. In these cases, a documented assessment and score are available, but the supplier has not met all the eligibility requirements or achieved the relative ranking needed to receive one of the four awards.
B Corp certification assesses a company’s social and environmental impact from a broad perspective.
The standard covers various aspects of an organisation’s operations, including its environmental practices, human rights, governance, relationships with stakeholders and social contribution.
Under the current system, certification is carried out by approved external assurance providers, while B Lab develops the standards and oversees the system.
B Corp certifies the company, not each of its products. It therefore indicates that the supplier has met the standard’s corporate requirements, but it does not mean that all its products use certified materials or have the same environmental impact.
SA8000:2026 is a social certification standard focused on decent work and the protection of labour rights. It examines aspects such as child labour, forced labour, health and safety, freedom of association, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours and remuneration.
Certification involves external checks and makes it possible to assess the social conditions within an organisation or facility.
The SA8000:2026 edition was published on 1 January 2026 and replaced the previous 2014 version. In an international supply chain, this certification provides evidence of how working conditions are managed at the certified site.
amfori BSCI audits are a system used by companies to assess and improve social conditions throughout their supply chains. Specifically, they review practices at production sites in areas such as working conditions, remuneration, working hours, health and safety, child labour, forced labour and freedom of association.
This is not a product certification. The result relates to an audit conducted at a specific factory or facility and reflects the conditions observed during the assessment. It is therefore more accurate to refer to a factory audited under amfori BSCI rather than a product certified by BSCI.
SMETA (Sedex Members’ Ethical Trade Audit) audits assess social and ethical aspects of workplaces within supply chains. Depending on the type of audit carried out, they may examine issues relating to labour standards, health and safety, the environment and business ethics.
Sedex develops and updates the methodology, while audits must be conducted by authorised audit companies.
SMETA is not a certification and does not generate a label that can be applied to a product. Its purpose is to gather information about a facility’s practices, identify non-compliance and support the development of improvement plans.
The ISO 14001:2026 standard sets out the requirements for an environmental management system. It provides organisations with a framework for identifying and managing their environmental aspects, complying with applicable legal requirements, setting objectives and continually improving their environmental performance.
It therefore demonstrates that a company has a structured environmental management system in place. However, it does not, in itself, indicate that the company has achieved a particular level of environmental performance or that all its products are sustainable.
The current edition is ISO 14001:2026, published on 15 April 2026. This version replaced ISO 14001:2015, although certified organisations have a transition period in which to move to the new edition.
ISO 45001:2018 sets out the requirements for occupational health and safety management systems. It helps organisations identify hazards, assess workplace risks, prevent incidents and improve working conditions.
Certification provides information about how health and safety are managed within a company, but it is not an environmental assessment or a product certification.
ISO 45001:2018 remains the current version, having been reviewed and confirmed in 2024.
In some cases, no certifications, audits, ESG assessments or documented supplier statements are available.
This does not necessarily mean that the company engages in poor practices. It means that we do not have sufficient evidence to objectively assess how it manages its environmental, social and labour-related risks.
· Which is more important: product certification or supplier certification?
Both categories provide different types of information and complement each other.
A product certification can confirm that a fabric contains recycled material, that the cotton is organic, that the wood is traceable or that an item has been tested for harmful substances.
However, this certification does not always explain how the supplier manages the rest of its operations, its emissions, its labour policies or the risks throughout its entire supply chain.
Similarly, a supplier with a high EcoVadis rating, B Corp certification or an ISO management system may have advanced policies and controls in place, but this does not mean that all its products contain certified materials.
To make this information easier to understand, along with other relevant aspects of the products in our catalogue, we have created a Sustainability Index, available on each product page.
The index assesses six dimensions: material, certifications, supplier, packaging, origin and advanced data. Each aspect is assigned a score according to specific criteria. Its purpose is to help compare products within the catalogue using defined criteria and verifiable information. However, it does not represent the product’s absolute environmental impact or replace a life cycle assessment.