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HomeDefine the category. Assess the condition. Preserve the evidence.

Define the category. Assess the condition. Preserve the evidence.

The VRS document system separates product category, quality class, legal status and intended destination. These are different decisions and must not be collapsed into one label.

Define the category. Assess the condition. Preserve the evidence.
Illustrative visualisation; not evidence of a certified site.
Four decisions that must stay separate
  1. Product category What the item is: one of ten numbered product groups and its sorting category.RTX-402
  2. Condition and safety How good it is: safety gate first, then a draft quality class A–D.RTX-401 · RTX-207
  3. Legal status Whether it is a product or waste under applicable law – decided outside the quality label.RTX-205
  4. Destination and route Where it goes next and which records accompany the batch.RTX-203-1 · RTX-206

One label must not stand in for all four answers. Each decision needs its own evidence.

Document architecture

The 100 series covers governance and claims; the 200 series covers participant controls; the 300 series covers assurance. RTX-401–403 contain draft classification and quality-control requirements despite their guide-style titles. The 900 series provides guidance and analysis.

Quality classes A–D

In RTX-401, A describes complete, clean items without visible defects under the stated assessment conditions; B allows minor defects without repair; C covers evident defects with retained utility; D requires repair or reconditioning before use. Outside-grade material and safety exclusion are separate outcomes, not additional quality grades.

Draft quality classes (RTX-401)
A Complete and clean, no visible defects under the stated assessment conditions
B Minor defects, no repair needed
C Evident defects, utility retained
D Repair or reconditioning required before use
Outside grade Material that does not meet the class criteria – a separate outcome, not class E.
Safety exclusion Decided first under RTX-207. Excluded items are not given a lower grade.

Draft criteria for information only; thresholds and tolerances are subject to approval.

Ten numbered product groups

RTX-402 distinguishes 01 outerwear, 02 upper-body clothing, 03 lower-body clothing, 04 full-body clothing, 05 specialist clothing, 06 children's clothing, 07 footwear, 08 accessories, 09 household textiles and 10 material fractions. BRIC is a separate conditional module. There is no separate PET product group in this catalogue.

Ten numbered product groups (RTX-402)
  • 01 Outerwear
  • 02 Upper-body clothing
  • 03 Lower-body clothing
  • 04 Full-body clothing
  • 05 Specialist clothing
  • 06 Children's clothing
  • 07 Footwear
  • 08 Accessories
  • 09 Household textiles
  • 10 Material fractions
  • + BRIC conditional module

Traceability and chain of custody

RTX-203-1 connects batch identifiers with intake, processing and dispatch records. RTX-203-2 addresses supply-chain models and material accounting. Retail has its own controls under RTX-208; industrial mass-balance requirements must not be applied indiscriminately to shops.

Safety, waste status and shipments

RTX-207 places hygiene and product safety before quality grading. RTX-205 deals with waste status and end-of-waste evidence, while RTX-206 addresses shipment documentation. A private certificate does not make an administrative decision or determine the law in the destination country.

Additional modules

RTX-209 describes conditional BRIC coverage; RTX-501 distinguishes operational greenhouse-gas emissions from estimated avoided emissions; RTX-502 structures data for EPR reporting. None of these modules is presented as an already operational service.

Who the requirements address

The document set is organised around activities rather than company types. A single organisation may collect, sort, trade and sell at retail; each activity is matched with the relevant controls, and the scope of an eventual decision names the activities and locations actually covered.

  • Collection and intake assessment – RTX-202, RTX-207
  • Sorting and classification – RTX-401, RTX-402, RTX-403
  • Trade, warehousing and export – RTX-203-2, RTX-206
  • Retail – RTX-208; manufacturers and brand owners – RTX-210