Materials Matter Standard: How It Will Affect Recyclers and the Value Chain Webinar Held
As USB Certification, on 21 May 2026 we held our free webinar addressing the effects of the Materials Matter Standard (MMS) published by Textile Exchange on recyclers and the value chain. Presented by our Technical and Quality Manager Ali Ertuğrul, the session comprehensively covered the systemic changes introduced by the new standard and the steps to be taken during the transition.
The Materials Matter Standard is designed as a unified, impact-driven standards system for raw material production and primary processing in the textile industry. More than 90,000 sites worldwide are certified to at least one of Textile Exchange’s programmes, including the Global Recycled Standard and the Responsible Wool Standard, and the new system aims to bring these standards together under a single framework. During the webinar, the scope of the standard, published on 12 December 2025, its claims, and what it means for other Textile Exchange standards were conveyed.
The session addressed the standard’s timeline in detail. MMS will become effective on 31 December 2026 and mandatory from 31 December 2027; after that date, certificates issued under existing Textile Exchange standards will no longer be renewed. The first version of MMS covers materials within the Responsible Animal Fibre framework, such as wool, alpaca and mohair, as well as recycled materials certified under the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS).
Within this framework, the webinar covered the transition policy, dates and requirements for MMS; the transition process for GRS and RCS, including scope certificates, transaction certificates and claims; the MMS requirements for recyclers; and the obligations for value chain actors using recycled materials. Practical information was provided to participants so that they could anticipate potential risks and opportunities.
As an accredited certification body, USB Certification continues to prepare its stakeholders for the Materials Matter Standard transition with the right steps at the right time, and to position this transformation for recyclers and value chain actors not only as a compliance obligation but also as a strategic opportunity.
