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Has Responsible Material Sourcing Certification

Certification

A raw material in the product was extracted, farmed, or produced at sites independently audited against a sector-specific responsible-production standard (covering issues like environmental management, community impact, labour rights, and governance), and — where a chain-of-custody scope exists — tracked from those sites into the product. This is a claim about how the material was sourced and produced, not about the finished product's carbon footprint, chemical content, or overall environmental impact.

You might see it written as: Responsibly Sourced Materials · Responsible Sourcing Certified · Certified Responsible Sourcing · Responsibly Sourced Metal · Responsible Sourcing Certification · Responsibly Produced Materials

Speaks to: Ecosystem health · Social equity

This entry is in review — facts are authored but not yet verified against current source documentation.

Medium greenwash risk

Meaningful only with supporting detail — check scope and dates.

All programmes in this family use accredited third-party audits; a manufacturer's own statement that a material is 'responsibly sourced' does not satisfy this claim.

Site/facility certification and chain of custody are different scopes: a certified mine, smelter, tannery, or plant does not by itself prove the material in THIS product came from that site. Check for a chain-of-custody or product-scope certificate where the programme offers one (ASI CoC, ResponsibleSteel Certified Steel, NSC 373 CoC, RWS scope/transaction certificates).

Programmes differ in what they audit (environment, labour, community, governance) and in stringency; the level or score on the certificate matters.

What backs it up

  • ASI Aluminium Stewardship Certificate →

    Must be at least: Third-party verified

    Check it states: Standard Type, Certified Entity, Certificate Number, Valid Until

    Only ASI Chain of Custody certification links certified production to the metal in this product; a Performance Standard certificate covers facility practices only.

  • Copper Mark Assurance →

    Must be at least: Third-party verified

    Check it states: Participant Site, Award Status, Assessment Date

    Site-level award only; supply-chain traceability to the product must be documented separately.

  • ResponsibleSteel Certificate →

    Must be at least: Third-party verified

    Check it states: Certification Type, Certified Site, Valid Until

    Certified Site alone supports no product claim; look for Certified Steel and note its progress level.

  • IRMA Mine Site Assessment →

    Must be at least: Third-party verified

    Check it states: Mine Site, Achievement Level, Audit Date

    Record the achievement level explicitly — IRMA levels are graded performance, not pass/fail certification.

  • CSC Responsible Sourcing Certificate →

    Must be at least: Third-party verified

    Check it states: Certificate Level, Certified Plant, Valid Until

    Confirm the supplying plant is the certified one and record the level.

  • ANSI/NSC 373 Certificate →

    Must be at least: Third-party verified

    Check it states: Facility Scope, Certification Level, Valid Until

    Certified-origin claims for delivered stone require the chain-of-custody companion certificate.

  • Rainforest Alliance Certificate →

    Must be at least: Third-party verified

    Check it states: Certified Crop Or Material, Certificate Number, Traceability Type, Valid Until

    Record the traceability type; mass-balance claims are weaker than segregated or identity-preserved sourcing.

  • Responsible Wool Standard Certificate →

    Must be at least: Third-party verified

    Check it states: Scope Certificate Number, Certified Material Percentage, Valid Until

    Verify chain-of-custody coverage through to the product seller, not just the farm.

  • Leather Working Group Certificate →

    Must be at least: Third-party verified

    Check it states: Audited Facility, Audit Rating, Valid Until

    Environmental audit of the tannery only — supports no animal-welfare or farm-origin claim.

  • BES 6001 Responsible Sourcing Certificate →

    Must be at least: Third-party verified

    Check it states: Certificate Number, Rating Level, Product Scope, Valid Until

    Record the rating level — BREEAM credit contribution scales with it.

Where it counts