Masters of LINEN™ Certification

Masters of LINEN™ has evolved since September 2025

Created in 1993, more than 30 years ago, the Alliance's pioneering certification is at the forefront of an exceptional European value chain. It is a major tool for differentiation and cohesion for stakeholders in the European Flax-Linen ecosystem.

In a context of accelerating environmental, industrial and societal change, brands and value chains stakeholders must contend with demands for transparency, innovation and regulatory compliance.

A symbol of European textile excellence, Masters of LINEN™ is fully committed to an approach that aims to address the challenges of sustainable transformation, innovation and creativity for European companies, by evolving into a formal certification system.

That is why, starting from September 15th 2025, the Masters of LINEN™ certification changes:

• Its Logo
• Its Baseline : Certified European flax-linen, from fibre to yarn to fabric
• Its Promise : A certification of distinction for European spinners, weavers and knitters who excel in the craft of transforming Flax into Linen and who are committed to prioritizing European Flax-Linen sourcing.
  Masters of LINEN™ is a guarantee that all cultivation and processing steps are made by European companies, from Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ to yarn to fabric.

This enhanced promise accompanies the development of a robust open-source standard covering companies and their products.

Audited by independent certification bodies, it focuses on traceability and transparency, on the unique expertise and know-how of European textile companies, on business integrity and on the sustainable practices of certified companies.

This new standard is the result of a collective co-construction process involving a working group of European spinning and weaving experts and the Alliance, and will be rolled out gradually throughout 2026.

What is the Masters of LINEN™ Certification ?

Masters of LINEN™ is a certification of distinction for European spinners, weavers and knitters who excel in the craft of transforming Flax into Linen and who are committed to prioritizing European Flax-Linen sourcing.

Masters of LINEN™ is a guarantee that all cultivation and processing steps are made by European companies, from Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ to yarn to fabric.

Masters of LINEN™ is an internationally registered trademark of the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp and its subsidiary CELC Developpement.

In December 2025, Masters of LINEN™ counted 38 certified companies in 8 European countries, including 8 spinning mills, 27 weavers and 3 knitters.

Masters of LINEN™: a distinctive lever for generating value

La certification Masters of LINEN™ est un outil de différenciation à forte valeur ajoutée :

• Masters of LINEN™ promotes integrated crop management practices and highlights the unique expertise of Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ certified European fibre producers.
  Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ certified fibre is the raw material at the origin of all Masters of LINEN™ certified Linen.
  
  This gives Masters of LINEN™ the same advantages and the right to make the same claims as Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ on its raw material ..

• Masters of LINEN™ represents the excellence of European Linen expertise in spinning, weaving and knitting, which meets the challenges of production based in Europe, with its strict labour and human rights regulations.
  Masters of LINEN™ certified products are guaranteed to be manufactured and traded/sold exclusively by certified European companies, right through to the finished fabric.
  Masters of LINEN™ companies also commit to prioritizing certified European Flax-Linen sourcing.
  The initiative:
  - promotes civic engagement in favour of regional sourcing
  - supports European jobs,
  - distinguishes local textile and agricultural expertise
  - offers a high level of service to its customers
  - valorizes European excellence and innovation

• Masters of LINEN™ guarantees verified traceability from the Flax fibre to the finished product, in accordance with the Chain of Custody principle.

Masters of LINEN™: A standard structured around founding principles

The Masters of LINEN™ standard is guided by four principles that constitute the fundamental values of the certification, each giving rise to specific criteria.

• Two fundamental principles, essential and non-negotiable:
  - Transparency and Traceability
  - Excellence and Expertise

• Two progressive principles, which enable gradual improvements over time and encourage companies to adopt best practices in
  - Business Ethics and Integrity
  - Sustainability

Digital traceability: a complementary option to the Masters of LINEN™ certification

The digital traceability platform Flax-Linen Traceability Platform, European Certified Fibres to Retail by TextileGenesis™, part of the Lectra Group, may be added as an optional component to strengthen the Masters of LINEN™ and Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ certification standards.

Once integrated as a complement to the Masters of LINEN™ certification criteria, the use of the TextileGenesis™ platform guarantee consistency, reliability, and collective value. Its deployment will be rolled out in phases starting from January 2026.

How to become Masters of LINEN™ certified?

The Masters of LINEN™ certification is open to European spinners, fancy spinners, weavers and knitters who meet the criteria of the four principles of the standard.

The access to the Masters of LINEN™ certification is based on strict eligibility requirements designed to ensure consistency, credibility and excellence throughout the certified value chain.

View the criteria and process for obtaining Masters of LINEN™ certification for my company

How can you check whether a product is certified Masters of LINEN™?

A product (finished or semi-finished) can only be certified Masters of LINEN™ if it meets the following three criteria :

• A fully certified chain of responsibility
• Composition criteria
• Proof of product certification

Criterion #1: A fully certified chain of custody

Each link in a product’s value chain, insofar as it holds ownership of the certified material, must be certified through to the final business-to-business transaction.

In the Masters of LINEN™ reference system, this means:

• Until the finished fabric:
  • All processing and trading stages, including subcontracting, are carried out in Europe (*).
  • All spinning, fancy spinning, weaving and knitting activities are performed by companies certified to Masters of LINEN™.
  • All other stakeholders in the value chain that own the certified material must be certified to Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ or to Masters of LINEN™ Chain of Custody.

Note: For traceability reasons, activities dedicated to Flax-Linen other than spinning, fancy spinning, weaving or knitting carried out by Masters of LINEN™ companies must be covered by a European flax traceability certification (either Masters of LINEN™ Chain of Custody (CoC) or Masters of FLAX FIBRE™).
(*) “Europe” = European Union, United Kingdom and Switzerland. The Tunisian site of a founding spinner is the sole exception.

• After fabric finishing:
  All processing and trading stages are carried out by companies certified to Masters of FLAX FIBRE™, regardless of the country.

• Brands and specifiers:
  To guarantee a chain of custody through to the finished product, brands and specifiers must be certified under Masters of LINEN™ Chain of Custody (CoC) when they are involved in the processing of their certified products (directly or through subcontractors), and when subsequent business-to-business transactions take place.

Criterion #2: Composition criteria

• The product is made from 100% Masters of LINEN™ certified flax.
  No blending with other types of Flax-Linen is permitted (no blends with Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ yarns or fabrics, nor with organic, recycled or conventional Flax-Linen).
  
  Note: The flax raw material for Masters of LINEN™ yarns is exclusively Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ certified fibre.
  The Linen raw material for Masters of LINEN™ fabrics and knits is exclusively Masters of LINEN™ yarns.
  The Linen raw material for Masters of LINEN™ finished products is exclusively Masters of LINEN™ fabrics.

• The product has a composition of at least 50% Linen, or is woven as a Linen union (cotton warp and Linen weft, with a minimum composition of 40% Linen and 60% cotton).

Criterion #3: Proof of product certification

The invoice issued by the Masters of LINEN™ certified spinner and weaver/knitter must include the following three pieces of information:

• The Masters of LINEN™ certificate number of the spinner, weaver or knitter
• The fibre composition of each certified Linen product
• The wording “Masters of LINEN™ certified” identifying each certified product

How can I find a Masters of LINEN™ certified company?

The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp lists all companies that have obtained the Masters of LINEN™ certification in its directory of certified companies.

Consult the directory to find the list of Masters of LINEN™ certified spinners, fancy spinners, weavers and knitters, as well as their certificates’ validity dates.

Consult the directory of Masters of LINEN™ certified companies

How do I label my Masters of LINEN™ products?

Only Masters of LINEN™ certified products can be labelled as such (see How can you check whether a product is certified Masters of LINEN™?)

All types of communication, labelling, use of the logo and claims relating to Masters of LINEN™ certification must comply with the criteria of the Masters of LINEN™ Graphic Charter and be approved by the Alliance prior to publication.

Consult the rules for using the Masters of LINEN™ brand

Contacts for Masters of LINEN™ Certification

Technical documents for Masters of LINEN™

The technical documents required to obtain Masters of LINEN™ certification are available on the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp website and on request.

Technical documents for Masters of LINEN™ Certification