A Transaction Certificate (TC) is the document that verifies the certified recycled or organic content in one specific shipment — not a general certification that a supplier holds. Having a GRS or OCS Scope Certificate only means a facility is approved to handle certified material; it doesn’t mean every order automatically comes with a TC. A TC can only be issued if both the supplier and the buyer are certified, so this needs to be confirmed before the contract is signed — not after the goods have shipped.
We ask about this on nearly every certified order, because it’s the single most common source of confusion between buyers and suppliers. Here’s what a TC actually is, how the process works end to end, and why the timing matters as much as the paperwork itself.
Scope Certificate vs. Transaction Certificate
A Scope Certificate is issued to a facility — a recycler, spinner, weaver, or dye house — confirming that facility is certified to process GRS or OCS material. It’s valid for a set period and covers the facility in general, not any particular order. A Transaction Certificate is issued per shipment, tied to a specific contract, invoice, and packing list, stating the certified content of that exact quantity of goods. Certification bodies accredited by Textile Exchange are the ones authorized to issue both types of certificate. The Scope Certificate is what makes a facility eligible to participate in a certified supply chain. The TC is what proves a specific order actually moved through it.
Why a Supplier’s GRS Certificate Doesn’t Automatically Cover Your Order
This is the part buyers most often assume incorrectly. A supplier holding a valid GRS or OCS Scope Certificate confirms they’re capable of producing certified fabric — it says nothing about whether your specific order will be issued a TC. That depends on a separate condition: certification on the buyer’s side as well. Without it, a TC cannot be issued for that transaction, no matter how legitimate the recycled or organic content actually is. For the fuller certification checklist buyers should confirm before ordering, see our buyer’s guide to GRS/OCS fabric.
Do Buyers Need Their Own Certification Too?
Yes. A Transaction Certificate can only be issued when both parties in the transaction hold a valid Scope Certificate, in the same certification (GRS or OCS) and within its validity period. This is the check we run before any contract is signed — confirming the buyer’s certificate exists and hasn’t expired — because finding out after the goods have shipped that the buyer isn’t certified means the TC simply can’t be issued for that order, with no way to fix it retroactively.
Industry Perspective
We verify the buyer’s certificate and its expiry date before the contract stage, every time. The scenario we’re avoiding is a completed order where the customer assumed a TC would simply be included, only to find out afterward that their certification had lapsed or was never in place — at that point, there’s no fix available, and it’s a hard conversation to have after goods have already shipped.
How the Process Actually Works
Once both sides confirm valid Scope Certificates, the process runs in a fixed sequence — the same chain of custody documentation that tracks certified material through each production stage, as outlined in how recycled polyester fabric is made:
- At contract stage: the fiber composition is specified, and the contract explicitly states that a GRS or OCS Transaction Certificate will be provided.
- At shipment: the packing list’s net and gross weights must match the customs declaration and delivery documents exactly — any mismatch here can hold up the certificate application.
- Applying for the TC: the supplier submits the contract, invoice, packing list, delivery note, bank receipt, and the raw material’s own Transaction Certificate to the certification body, as the documentation proving the certified material moved through this specific transaction.
- Draft and confirmation: a draft TC is typically ready in about a week and sent to the buyer for review. Once confirmed, the certification body issues the original.
What Information Is on a Transaction Certificate
A completed TC shows the fiber composition and certified content percentage, the certified quantity of goods, the buyer and seller named in the transaction, and the certification body that issued it — all matched against the contract, invoice, and packing list used in the application. The exact format and required fields are set out in Textile Exchange’s Policy for Scope and Transaction Certificates, which all licensed certification bodies follow. This is the document a brand can actually point to if a customer or auditor asks them to substantiate a recycled or organic content claim; the supplier’s Scope Certificate alone can’t do that.
Why the TC Requirement Needs to Be Confirmed Upfront
The TC application depends on paperwork that’s only accurate if it was set up correctly from the start — the composition on the contract, the weights on the packing list matching customs and delivery documents, and both parties’ certification status confirmed before the order is placed. There’s no way to reconstruct a TC after the fact if any of that wasn’t in place, which is why we ask about certification and confirm TC requirements before the contract stage, not after production.
Timing matters after shipment too: a TC application needs to be submitted promptly once the goods have shipped. Past roughly six months from shipment, it becomes very difficult to apply for a TC on that order at all — and once that window closes, there’s no reissue option. If a Transaction Certificate is something you’ll need, it has to be flagged before the order is placed, and followed through on shortly after shipment.
Need a Transaction Certificate for your next order?
Tell us your certification status and order timeline, and we’ll confirm what’s needed before the contract stage — not after.
Looking for a complete overview? Read our guide: Sustainable Workwear Fabrics