GRS stands for Global Recycling Standard. The basic objective of the GRS is to increase the use of recycled materials in products and reduce/eliminate the harm caused by its production. … If any company uses the GRS label on their product, then their product must have 50% recycled material.

GRS covers the processing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, trading, and distribution of all products made with a minimum of 20% recycled material. It also sets requirements for third-party certification of recycled content, chain of custody, social and environmental practices, and chemical restrictions.

What are the RCS & GRS Labels?

RCS is the recycling certification system that covers the collection and processing of recyclable materials into new products. The RCS label appears on the packaging or “upstream” portion of the recycling value chain (i.e., at collection centers).

You can learn more about RCS here: http://www.global-recycling-standard.org/what-is-rcs/

Certification Cost

We typically estimate that the time from application to certification is 6-8 weeks for either standard (RCS or GRS). RCS costs are estimated to be around $3000-$5,000. Because the GRS includes additional audits for social, chemical, and environmental requirements, the price of certification is usually estimated to be around $7000-$9,000 USD.