RDS certification A to Z for marketers
2017-06-09
All brands want to produce and sell quality products at reasonable prices. It would be even better if they could add moral and ethical values that consumers desire to their products. The best way to add social and ethical values to their products is to be Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified which proves that the products comply with animal welfare standards.
Although down is one of the most eco-friendly natural materials, there are reported incidents of animal abuse occurring for the sake of increasing production, which is very fatal to down material and clothing brands. The certification requirements for the RDS are strict, thus RDS certification can be a valuable asset to clothing brands.
As it is difficult to obtain such certification, we would like to introduce marketing standards and procedures which need to be followed in order to utilize the RDS most efficiently.
<RDS Logo, Visit the webpage for further information on the RDS>
All RDS-certified brands are provided with a “RDS Logo Use and Claims Guide” containing the logo usage standards. The latest Version 2.1 explains all the details about how to use the RDS logo including its design, texts, etc. You can download the guide file via this link.
What is an RDS Claim?
An RDS claim is any statement that refers to the RDS. As the meaning of the word “claim”, this term refers to all materials proving that the product is RDS certified. It includes all texts containing the word “RDS”, the RDS logo, and the link to information mentioning RDS, etc. RDS claims can be categorized into several types. Product-Specific Claim and General Marketing Claim will be further explained below.
Product-Specific Claim
The following procedure must be followed in order to attach a hangtag or label containing the RDS logo or use text containing “RDS”.
1. Product:
1) All down in the product must be RDS certified. Even products made from both polyester filling and down filling can be acknowledged as RDS-certified products if the entire down portion completes the RDS certification process.
2) The down used in a product must be RDS certified up through the seller (final B2B customer, retail brand). If the RDS is given to only factories and not to final distributor brands, the products cannot use Product-Specific claim.
2. Design & Contents:
1) The RDS logo must not be modified except in the ways prescribed in the Guide. (colors, shapes, etc.)
2) When the RDS logo is present, it must be kept at a reasonable distance from other products or Content claims that do not refer to the RDS.
3) Information of the certification body that certified the final retail brand must be included. (certification body, logo, etc.)
4) Information of the final certification body must be included. (certification No., company name, logo, etc.)
<PRAUDEN’s RDS hangtag complying with RDS claims>
3. Other:
1) The RDS logo must not be permanently printed on or affixed to any reusable packaging such as boxes or hangers.
General Marketing Claim
The following information must be checked in order to promote RDS or RDS-certified products.
1. RDS-certified organization: An RDS-certified organization may use the RDS logo in marketing and public relations materials to indicate its use of the RDS.
2. Non-certified organization: A non-certified organization may indicate its use of RDS-certified products (through online publications, catalogs, etc.), as long as it has evidential documents such as TC, etc.
RDS Claim Approval Process
The following process must be completed for RDS Claims.
1. Fill out an RDS Logo Use Registration
* An RDS Logo Use Registration must be submitted for each design. Required documents can be obtained from the certification body.
* A non-certified organization should contact the certification body of the RDS-certified down supplier for an application.
2. Submit the design product (file) and an RDS Logo Use Registration form to the certification body
3. Review and approval by the certification body.
* Once the registration is approved, materials with the seal of the certification body will be provided.
After the RDS certification process is completed, the organization must obtain RDS approval for the contents and design in order to use the RDS logo for marketing activities. Some company’s unapproved tags were caught after the products were launched in the market and they were eventually all withdrawn. In addition, there are incidents where some non-certified companies that pretended that they were certified for RDS using the RDS text or logo online are being caught. If the use of an unapproved RDS logo is found, the company will be restricted from using the logo and legal action for compensation may be taken. Moreover, the hangtags of the delivered products must be removed immediately as well.
PRAUDEN’s reliable RDS hangtag
PRAUDEN is well aware of the RDS regulations and provides approved RDS hangtag according to the regulations and procedures, so that customers can use its products without any concerns. PRAUDEN RDS hangtag shows that its down & feather are produced under the Animal Welfare Standards, and contains a QR code for details on RDS.
<PRAUDEN RDS hangtag and the QR code landing page>
You can view the RDS description and certificate by scanning the QR code.
With this hangtag, you can provide customers with all necessary information including the description of RDS, certification number, and RDS logo. You don’t even have to add an additional description about RDS. Save your time or money on designing a tag and obtaining an approval. RDS hangtags enable you to conduct smart and eco-friendly marketing campaigns.
How to verify RDS-certified organizations
An RDS certification number is a serial number assigned to each RDS-certified organization. Customers can check the corporate information and certification status using this number.
<The website of the RDS auditing agency, Control Union>
Enter the name or certification number of a company to check its certification status
Many people still consider down as an unethical material which is produced through animal abuse. For transparent and sustainability growth of the down industry, we hope that the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) becomes more widely known and the misunderstanding of down is removed.
By PRAUDEN Brand Part Lee Su-kyung
