Created by the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp, the Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ (ex- European Flax™) certification guarantees a Flax fibre of Western European origin (France, Belgium, Netherlands), and its traceability throughout the value chain.
The Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ (ex- European Flax™) certification is open to any company worldwide whose products are made from Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ certified Flax and that wishes to commit to a traceability process for its value chain, from fibre to finished product.
Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ guarantees the traceability of Linen products based on the Chain-of-Custody principle. This principle means that each link in the value chain of a product that is the owner of the certified material, is to be certified, up to the last business-to-business transaction.
Subcontractors, not being the owners of the certified material, are declared in the certification perimeter of their client and are therefore verified, but do not need to be certified.
Download the Scheme of the Masters of Flax Fibre™ - Traceability Chain
Upstream:
European fibre producers are committed through European Flax™ Charter ,a set of criteria to be respected regarding origin and responsible practices. All scutching mills from Western Europe have signed the Charter and are listed on the certified companies directory.
Downstream:
All stakeholders (processors and traders) of Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ material commit to guarantee the traceability of their value chain, by respecting the Masters of FLAX FIBRE™standard, and by submitting to annual verification audits carried out by independent certifying bodies.
Brands and distributors:
Brands and distributors must in some cases be certified according to the Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ standard and undergo annual audits.
All technical requirements and criteria related to obtaining and using the certification are detailed in the Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ Standard.
The Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ Certification Process document details the steps involved in verifying certification requirements for each stakeholder and each case.
The Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ (ex-European Flax™) certification is intended for every link in the value chain that owns certified material and wishes to process or sell this material, according to the chain-of-custody principle (see scheme below):
Download the scheme : How to Become Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ certified
The application file for a company seeking Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ certification includes the following documents:
The reference and preparation documents for the Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ audit should be consulted before each audit in their most recent version, available on Alliance website.
The time required to obtain Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ certification depends on the steps to be followed and how long they take to complete.
The certification is valid for a period of 3 years, with annual audits carried out by the certification body Bureau Veritas.
In general, between the validation of the RFQ and the issuance of the certification, an average delay of 17 weeks is to be expected, in the absence of non-conformities and depending on the responsiveness of the company and the availability of auditors.
Certification is a process that requires a time investment from a company. The application must therefore be anticipated and submitted sufficiently ahead of time.
Note: Companies that have not yet received their certificate are allowed to buy and process certified materials. However, they cannot sell certified materials until they have received their certificate.
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.
Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ 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 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.
Membership of the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp
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).
Composition tests
From €350 per year for processors from the 2nd year onwards, applicable to processors with activities at risk of fibre blending (see Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ Standard v3.1).
Composition tests shall be performed according to the methodology from the norm ISO standard #20706-1, dec.2019, co-created by Alliance Bast Fiber Authority.
Note that composition tests for processors may be included in the Bureau Veritas commercial offer (except in Asia) or carried out separately at one of the the accredited laboratories.
European Flax™ et Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ certificates
The change of identity from European Flax™ to Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ does not affect the validity of certificates. Any valid European Flax™ certificate remains valid until its expiry, termination, suspension, or update by Bureau Veritas.
NOTE: From the publication of the Rules for Use of the new Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ certification identity, only the following cases will result in the issuance of a Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ certificate:
✔ Renewal or update of a valid European Flax™ certificate
✔ Newly certified companies
✔ Specific request from the certified company : any certified company holding a valid European Flax™ certificate may request Bureau Veritas to issue a new Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ certificate for a fee charged to the company. For pricing information and to submit a request, please contact your local Bureau Veritas office.
Use of the Trademark
The use of the mark is granted by the Alliance fir European Flax-Linen & Hemp to certified companies and to brands/retailers, subject to conditions, and submitted to the signature of the Trademark Use Authorization Agreement (TUAA) for brands and for certified companies.
Need additional information on the Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ certification? Submit your request to our teams by filling out this form.
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