European flax-linen certifications and traceability

Structural reinforcement of certificates of origin

The Alliance, committed to an approach structured around innovation, creation and sustainable development, has chosen to structurally enhance its certifications. This is underpinned by a collective, proactive and broken down operational methodology, but above all on continuous improvement designed to meet new market requirements and establish robust, open-source standards.

This new framework will be gradually implemented, aligned with a transition period (by subjects and sectors) and the textile market calendar, from January 2026 to March 2027.

For Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ certification:

• Audited Standard:
  ➞ Change of name for European Flax™ certification and strengthening of the standard with new claims for crop scutching section.
  ➞ Implementation of a Digital Traceability Platform for certified European flax-linen
• Expertise at the service of Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ certified stakeholders

For Masters of LINEN™ certification:

• Audited Standard:
  ➞ New identity for Masters of LINEN™ certification and new standards covering the company and the product.
  ➞ Implementation of a Digital Traceability Platform for certified European flax flax-linen
• Expertise at the service of Masters of LINEN™ certified stakeholders

New names and enhanced standards for European flax-linen certifications

• The European Flax™ origin and traceability certification (created in 2012) is now Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and sees its crop scutching standard (first stage of transformation) enhanced with new audits on claims and commitments concerning sustainable practices.

• The historic Masters of LINEN™ certification (created in 1993), a symbol of European textile excellence, keeps its name but adopts a new logo, a new baseline and a reinforced promise, and develops a standard focusing on both the company and the product.

Implementation of a Digital Traceability Platform

To go even further in supporting textile markets and to take the values of differentiation of origin and authentication of certifications ever higher, the Alliance is including in the new standards the two certifications Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and Masters of LINEN ™ fibre-forward digital traceability, making it possible to trace flows throughout the value chain from fibre to finished product, thanks to the secure TextileGenesis™ by Lectra Group platform.

The Flax-Linen Traceability Platform "European Certified Fibres to Retail TextileGenesis™", Lectra Group digital traceability platform complements and reinforces the standards of the Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and Masters of LINEN™ certifications.

Digital Traceability: an optional solution for brands

In an ever-changing textile market, traceability has become a strategic lever for industrials. Brands, consumers and regulators all expect greater transparency and compliance.

In a geographically fragmented textile industry, understanding and managing the entire value chain is a major challenge for improving eco-design, complying with regulations and meeting growing demands for transparency. It is now essential to have a dedicated traceability tool.

In 2020, as part of the Fashion and Luxury Sector Strategy Committee, the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp led a European pilot project on Linen, aimed at testing a digital traceability system. Building on its success, the Alliance and the working group chose TextileGenesis™, a subsidiary of the French group Lectra, to roll out the platform on a large scale.

This solution works on the principle of downstream transactional traceability, from fibre to finished product. Using a secure blockchain system, the platform tracks all certified volume transactions, from scutching to branding, via Fibercoins™ tokens (for Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ long and short fibres). It guarantees the origin of European fibres and, thanks to its rule-based artificial intelligence, guarantees certified volumes to avoid any risk of double counting.

Brands can thus ensure complete traceability of their products. In practical terms, this allows them to:

• Map the entire chain (production stages and locations),
• Reconstruct a product's history, from fibre to finished product,
• Provide more verifiable and usable traceability (audit, compliance, communication).

Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and Masters of LINEN™ certifications remain the benchmark for origin and traceability. The digital traceability platform is an optional solution offered by the Alliance to brands and distributors who wish to go further, in particular to:

• Structure and improve the reliability of their data,
• Industrialise traceability on larger volumes,
• Facilitate compliance and transparency on a large scale.

This enables brands to map every stage of production and every location, ensuring complete traceability and total transparency for their partners and consumers.

To guarantee consistency, reliability and collective value, platform use is mandatory for all Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and Masters of LINEN™ certified companies.
Its use is now inseparable from the certifications: only companies that meet all certification requirements can access the platform.

Alliance puts its expertise at the exclusive service of all players certified

Drawing on its know-how in CSR, marketing, economics and knowledge of the European Linen value chain, the Alliance has chosen to make its expertise exclusively available to all members and certified stakeholders Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and/or Masters of LINEN™.

The structured framework of support services (CSR, Innovation, Economics, Marketing) for brands and retailers is specially designed to support and enhance the value of products, strengthen the reputation of brands and retailers and raise the international visibility of certified European Linen.

European flax-linen certifications: Audit costs, management fees and related services

A robust, audited, verifiable and open-source standard enables every player in the value chain to benefit from a full transparency, to promote the excellence of certified European fibres and create added value for their business.
This approach entails the following obligations:

• Certification audit:
  Average annual cost of €2,500 per year over 3 years, with additional costs for multiple sites, subcontracting, and depending on the type of activity. The certification body / Bureau Veritas Certifications will draw up a technical and commercial proposal tailored to your company based on the approved e-RFQ (application).

• Management and associated fees:
  In addition to full responsibility for the technical and functional developments of the certification and its tools (including the Flax-Linen Traceability Platform by TextileGenesis) and the coordination of steering groups throughout the projects by the Alliance collective, management and associated service fees of €950 excl. VAT per year are charged to companies, from yarn trading until finished products (end-product manufacturers or end-product traders).
  
  These management and associated services fees contribute to covering part of the tools Implemented by Alliance, in particular:
  - Innovation & CSR (digital traceability platform);
  - a portion of the associated services (marketing, promotion, use of certification identification elements such as certification trademarks, claims and logos);
  - the Economic Observatory, etc.
  These fees will be included on the invoice issued to the company by the certifying body under the heading « management and associated service fees».
  
  To be certified, it is mandatory to pay the management & associated service fees.
  Brands and retailers are not affected by these management fees and have access, under certain conditions, to the certification trademarks, to the digital traceability platform Flax-Linen Traceability Platform and the Alliance's expertise, which supports them in their CSR and marketing strategies.

• Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp Membership:
  Membership to Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp is now dissociated from certification. Only European companies may join the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp. The cost depends on the company's activity (contact us).