FAQ · compliance
Frequently asked questions about certifications and compliance sourcing for B2B merch — covering OEKO-TEX, GOTS, GRS, FSC, ISO, GDPR, REACH and RoHS, and alignment with EU standards and Czech law.
Certification in B2B merch spans four core areas. Together they ensure a programme stands up to EU rules and Czech law, plus the procurement standards your auditors are likely to look at.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 (Class I for children's textiles, Class II for adult textiles) — testing for harmful substances. GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) for organic cotton. GRS (Global Recycled Standard) for recycled polyester. Bluesign for more environmentally friendly production.
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) for paper and wood from certified, renewable sources. PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) as an alternative. Cradle to Cradle Certified for circular-economy programmes.
RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) — caps on heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium). CE marking for the European market. FCC for the US market. ISO 13485 for medical devices. LFGB for food-contact items.
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) — alignment with EU Directive 2016/679. Czech Act No. 101/2000 Coll. on the protection of personal data, and the Czech Office for Personal Data Protection (UOOU). For data collected from employees or programme participants, transparency and data minimisation are mandatory.
Compliance sourcing for B2B merch covers three main processes: (1) selecting certified suppliers, (2) checking certificates on goods receipt, (3) documenting and archiving certificates for the client. Each process has its own SOP and a documented control point.
Selecting certified suppliers: Corp-Merch works only with suppliers that hold valid certifications (OEKO-TEX, GOTS, GRS, FSC, ISO 9001, ISO 14001). Every supplier goes through an annual review covering audit results, quality KPIs and current certificate status.
Checking certificates on goods receipt: every shipment from a supplier is verified — certificate validity, alignment with the order, product quality. If a certificate is invalid or out of scope, the shipment is sent back to the supplier.
Documentation and archival: Corp-Merch keeps certificate copies for every product and every supplier. On client request, certificate copies are supplied for ESG reporting, internal audit and compliance checks. Retention runs 5–10 years depending on certificate type.
GDPR alignment: Corp-Merch only collects data that is strictly necessary (recipient name, delivery address, contact for delivery notifications). Sensitive categories (national ID, health data, political preferences) are never collected. Client and recipient records are stored on EU infrastructure (Frankfurt, Vienna). Lawful basis for processing: contract performance.
The certification process runs in four phases: (1) client requirements analysis (1–3 days), (2) selecting certified products and suppliers (2–7 days), (3) certificate check and documentation (1–5 days), (4) delivering certificates to the client (ongoing).
Phase 1 — Requirements analysis: Corp-Merch analyses the client's requirements (which certificates are needed, for which market, for which purpose), with consultation from the compliance specialist. 1–3 days.
Phase 2 — Product and supplier selection: picking products that carry the required certificates, verifying availability with suppliers, checking that certificates are still valid. 2–7 days.
Phase 3 — Certificate check: verifying each certificate with its issuer (OEKO-TEX, GOTS, GRS, FSC, ISO), checking the scope of certification, checking the validity date. 1–5 days.
Phase 4 — Certificate delivery: sending certificate copies to the client (by email, by post or via the client portal), with the documentation pack needed for ESG reporting. Ongoing.
Compliance sourcing is measured against four KPIs: share of certified products, certificate-related claims rate, client satisfaction, and regulatory alignment.
Share of certified products: target 90% of products carrying at least one certificate (OEKO-TEX, GOTS, GRS, FSC). Actual: 94% in 2025. The remaining 6% covers products without an environmental certificate (selected plastic accessories, metal items) where no fit-for-purpose scheme exists.
Certificate-related claims rate: target under 0.1% of orders with a missing or invalid certificate complaint. Actual: 0.04% in 2025. All complaints are resolved within 5 working days (certificate replacement or product replacement).
Client satisfaction: satisfaction survey 2 weeks after delivery. 89% of clients rate compliance as "met" or "exceeded", 9% as "partially met", 2% as "not met".
Regulatory alignment: in 2025 there were no penalties, audits or findings from the Czech Office for Personal Data Protection (UOOU), the State Institute for Drug Control, the Czech Customs Administration, or any other regulator. Internal compliance audits run quarterly.
For textile products, Corp-Merch provides OEKO-TEX Standard 100 (Class I or II), GOTS for organic cotton, and GRS for recycled polyester. All certificates are valid at the time of supply and can be verified with the issuing body.
Yes. All paper products (notebooks, greeting cards, gift boxes) carry FSC or PEFC certification. Certificate copies are supplied on request for the client's ESG reporting.
Corp-Merch only collects the data that is strictly necessary (recipient name, delivery address, delivery contact). Sensitive categories are never collected. Recipient records are stored on EU infrastructure. Alignment with GDPR and Czech Act No. 101/2000 Coll.
EU-recognised certificates include OEKO-TEX Standard 100 (textiles), GOTS (organic textiles), GRS (recycled textiles), FSC (paper, wood), PEFC (paper, wood), RoHS (electronics), CE (European market), ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 14001 (environmental management) and ISO 13485 (medical devices).
The certificates listed in this FAQ are valid as of the last update. Corp-Merch checks certificate validity with the issuers on a regular cycle (OEKO-TEX, GOTS, GRS, FSC, ISO) but cannot take responsibility for downstream changes to certification requirements.
Alignment with GDPR and Czech law is maintained under Corp-Merch's standard procedures. For specific client requirements (extended documentation, internal audit support, custom certificates), we recommend a consultation with the compliance specialist.
Some certificates (GOTS, GRS, FSC) are issued by independent organisations and require annual renewal. Corp-Merch cannot guarantee the availability of certified products across every category and volume.
This FAQ page does not offer a fixed certification plan as a universal guarantee. Certification outcomes depend on the brief, the product mix and the client's requirements. For a precise certification plan, contact Corp-Merch.
Want a certification plan for an upcoming merch programme? Reach out — replies usually go out within 24 hours on working days.
Start with what you know. We’ll work through the details together.