Merch Field Guide
Straight explanations of print techniques, materials, finishes and production realities - so you can brief, budget and approve with confidence.
CE marking is a conformity mark that shows a product meets the EU safety rules that apply to it, for the product types that require it. It is not a certification, not a quality rating, and not something you request - it signals legal market access within the EU.
REACH is an EU regulation on chemicals in products, not a certificate you buy. It restricts harmful substances in almost anything sold in the EU - including apparel and printed merchandise - and it is something every buyer should check, not a badge to look for.
Recycled content is the claim that part of a product is made from reclaimed material - recycled plastic, recycled cotton or recycled paper. It is a different claim from organic, and reading the difference matters when you check a product label.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is the certification that tests a finished textile product for harmful substances, so the garment is safe to wear against the skin. It answers a different question from GOTS: it checks the product for what might be in it, not how the fiber was grown.
GOTS is the leading certification for organic textiles. This page explains what it actually certifies, how to verify a claim, and what to ask a supplier - plus the honest state of GOTS-certified stock in the SoMerch catalog.
