From 5% RWS wool
A product with at least 5% RWS wool can carry the logo. The percentage has to be shown, unless the product is 100% RWS wool.
What Is RWS Wool?
RWS wool comes from farms certified to the Responsible Wool Standard, which audits animal welfare, land management and working conditions on sheep farms. Mulesing is banned. The wool is then tracked through every site to the brand. After the farm, RWS checks chain of custody only, so it doesn't cover how the wool is processed or dyed.
What RWS checks
- Animal welfare on every farm, including nutrition, living conditions, handling and transport
- A ban on mulesing and freeze mulesing. Farms that have stopped mulesing for at least 12 months are accepted.
- Limits on castration and tail docking, with an age window of 24 hours to 8 weeks and pain relief when suitable pain relief is available
- Land management, including soil, biodiversity, water, fertilizers and pesticides
- Working conditions on farms, including forced and child labor, wages, and health and safety
- Chain of custody from the farm to the last business-to-business seller
- Unannounced or semi-announced visits to at least 10% of individual farms each year, and at least 20% of farm audits timed to castration, tail docking or shearing
What RWS doesn’t cover
- Processing chemistry. Scourers, spinners, dyers and garment makers are audited for chain of custody only.
- Organic farming. RWS has land rules, including on pesticides, and isn't an organic certification.
- Recycled wool, which can't be RWS certified
- Slaughter, which farms can choose to certify but don't have to
- Quality or legal compliance
How RWS labels work
RWS has one logo. There's no separate 100% or blended version, so the rules sit in what the label has to say.
No uncertified virgin wool
An RWS sweater can be blended with cotton or other fibers. Any other wool in it has to be GRS or RCS certified recycled wool.
Materials Matter, 2027 to 2029
Textile Exchange's Materials Matter Standard replaces RWS for farms. Audits start December 31, 2026, it's mandatory December 31, 2027, and RWS certificates end March 31, 2029. RWS labels already printed can be used until stock runs out.
How to check a RWS certificate
An RWS claim has to show the RWS logo, the license number or TE-ID of the company making the claim, its certification body, and the percentage of RWS wool unless it's 100%.
- Find the number. Look for a license number or a TE-ID next to the logo. A TE-ID reads TE- followed by eight digits.
- Search it. Enter the number or the company name in Textile Exchange's Find a Certified Company tool, and filter by standard to RWS.
- Read the result. Check that the certificate is valid. Farm names and addresses stay private, so a farm shows up only as a farm with its state and country.
RWS questions
Is RWS wool mulesing-free?
Yes. Mulesing and freeze mulesing are banned on RWS farms, and breaking that rule means immediate suspension. Farms with ceased mulesing status, where no lambs born in the last 12 months were mulesed, are accepted.
Is RWS wool organic?
No. RWS has land management rules, including on pesticides, but it isn't an organic certification. Organic wool is covered by OCS or GOTS, which also require non-mulesed wool.
Does RWS cover how wool is dyed or treated?
No. After the farm, RWS checks chain of custody only. It has no rules on processing chemicals or wastewater.
Does RWS allow tail docking and castration?
Yes, with conditions. Both are allowed between 24 hours and 8 weeks of age, by approved methods. Pain relief is required when suitable pain relief is available, and always for surgical castration. Tail docking is allowed only if skipping it would lead to welfare problems.
Can an RWS sweater contain non-RWS wool?
Not uncertified virgin wool. The only other wool allowed is GRS or RCS certified recycled wool. Other fibers, like cotton, can be blended in.
What happens to RWS with Materials Matter?
Farms move to the Materials Matter Standard between December 31, 2026 and December 31, 2027. RWS certificates end by March 31, 2029, and new claims use the Materials Matter mark by June 30, 2029. Labels already printed can be used up.