What is a TC Shipment ?

When we talk about products, materials, and certifications, there's a lot of lingo out there, that you and I need to be able to distinguish between "real" or "fake”, in order to fully understand what you will be supplying to your customers. In this article, we're going to break down the concepts of TC Shipment for you.

In this case, TC stands for "Transaction Certificate". A certificate that is linked to the usage of products/fibers labelled by the “Textile Exchange” standards (e.g. GRS* Global Recycle Standard) and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS*) in the supply chain. This certificate guarantees the production and trading of products/fibres containing recycled or organic materials. ^{1, 2}

Originally developed by Control Union in 2008, then taken over by the Textile Exchange in 2011, this certification policy aims to establish strict and effective processes for the traceability of raw materials and harmonize the standards required to qualify for this certification.

More than just reliability and transparency are at stake here, this can lead you to check at every stage of the supply chain the true nature of the material used to make the garment. Without it, you can never be sure of the fibre you are buying, beware!

The TC is issued after the GRS or GOTS certificate, which depending on our examples, has been obtained. A proper transaction must have also taken place before the TC can be requested to the certification authority.³

Producing the cleanest possible products and ensuring respect for the planet and the health of our customers are key elements of our business. To achieve this, it is essential to obtain assurance on the materials we are buying and using. This is why we require on each of our productions made from recycled or organic fibers the corresponding TC Shipment in order to be sure that our articles respect the highest quality standards and the promises made to our customers.

 

Sources :

1)  https://textileexchange.org/recycled-claim-global-recycled-standard

2)  https://global-standard.org/certification-and-labelling/certification#certificates

3)  https://cleanglobeint.com/our-services/transaction-certification-tc/

*GRS: https://textileexchange.org/recycled-claim-global-recycled-standard

*GOTS: https://global-standard.org/certification-and-labelling/certification#certificates