The difference between a product and a factory certification
Short answer: A product certification applies to a specific item. A factory certification applies to the place and the way production is done, whatever item comes out. They answer different questions and cannot replace each other, and many brands have both.
Two different questions
When a label sits on an item, it can answer two quite different things. Either: has the item been tested? Or: has the place where it was made been assessed? The first is a product certification, the second a factory certification. It helps to know which of them a given label is about.
Product says something about the item
Here the finished item has been tested in a laboratory. The certificate names the product groups it covers, and it applies only to those and not to neighbouring products. If an item is not named in the certificate, you cannot count on it being covered, even if it comes from the same producer.
Factory says something about the place
Here it is working conditions, chemistry and environment at the factory itself that have been assessed. The item is not necessarily tested. That means the scheme says something about how the place is run, but not about a specific garment. See for example the items from Copenhagen Bamboo, where the label belongs to the whole garment.
They cannot replace each other
An item from a certified factory is not automatically a certified item, and the other way round. One scheme therefore cannot serve as proof of the other. If you see only one of the labels, you know something about only one question, and the rest you must find elsewhere in the product details.
How to see the difference
Read what the certificate covers. It states whether it is about items or a production site. Look the number up at the organisation and see whether product groups or an address are listed. If a factory is listed, the place has been assessed. If product groups are listed, the items have been tested.
Many brands have both
It is common for the raw material, the factory and the finished item all to be covered. You then get several layers of documentation that supplement each other. It is not a requirement, but it is a sign that the producer has worked with its papers. See for example Resteröds and Decoy if you want to compare the brands.
Which is better
They answer different questions, so neither is better in itself. For underwear that sits close to the skin all day, a test of the finished item is the most direct answer. The factory says something about the conditions under which the item was made. Both can be relevant.
An item can have several certificates
Yes. The raw material may have one, the factory another and the finished item a third. They belong to different cases at different institutes and each has its own date. That is why you should not settle for reading one label, but look at what each of them actually covers.
How to use it as a buyer
Make it a habit to ask what a label is about before you treat it as an answer to what you want to know. If you want to know whether the item is tested for substances, look for a product certificate. If you want to know about the place, find the factory's papers.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better
They answer different questions. Many brands have both, and then you get both a test of the item and an assessment of the place it was made.
How do I see the difference
Read what the certificate covers. It states whether it is about items or a production site. Look the number up at the organisation to see whether product groups or a factory are listed.
Can an item have several certificates
Yes. It is common for the raw material, the factory and the finished item all to be covered, and each certificate has its own date and its own scope that you can look up.
You can find the full range at Bamboo-Clothing.com.
