What Is the Responsible Alpaca Standard?
The Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS) certifies alpaca farms on animal welfare, land management and working conditions, then tracks the fiber from the farm to the finished product. After the farm, it checks chain of custody only. Textile Exchange is folding it into its new Materials Matter Standard.
What RAS checks
- Alpaca welfare, including nutrition, living environment, animal management, handling and transport
- Shearing done by, or under the direct supervision of, a competent shearer
- Pain relief whenever castration is carried out
- Land management and working conditions on the farm
- Chain of custody from farm to product, with transaction certificates
What RAS doesn’t cover
- Scouring, dyeing and finishing. Sites after the farm are audited for chain of custody only.
- Chemical residue in the finished product
- Recycled alpaca, which can't be RAS certified
- Slaughter sites, which are optional
How to check a RAS certificate
An RAS claim has to show the RAS logo, the brand's license number or TE-ID, and its certification body.
- Find the number. It's printed with the logo and the certifier's name.
- Search it. Enter it in Textile Exchange's Find a Certified Company tool, filter by RAS, and check that the certificate is valid.
RAS questions
Does an RAS label mean all the alpaca is certified?
Any virgin alpaca fiber has to be RAS certified. The only other alpaca allowed is recycled fiber certified to RCS or GRS. Products can carry the claim from 5% RAS alpaca, and the label states the percentage unless it's 100%.
What happens to RAS with Materials Matter?
Farms can be audited to the new Materials Matter Standard from December 31, 2026, it's mandatory from December 31, 2027, and remaining RAS certificates end by March 31, 2029.
Where does RAS apply?
Anywhere. The standard can be used globally, at every site that handles alpaca fiber, from the farm through processing.