The Textile Exchange has announced the release of Responsible Down Standard 3.0, the third version of the Responsible Down Standard (RDS), effective July 1. The RDS 3.0 represents “the most substantial revision” since the launch of the standard, according to the organization. The RDS, which was originally developed in 2014 through a joint venture of the Textile Exchange with The North Face and Control Union, is an international, voluntary standard that addresses animal welfare in the duck and geese supply chain and chain of custody of down and feather material from certified farms to the final product. Key changes in RDS 3.0 include, among others, euthanasia of sick or injured birds in order to prevent suffering, which is now mandatory on the farm, and mandatory stunning before slaughter at the slaughter site. The RDS covers more than 500 million birds. The text of the updated Standard is available online from the Textile Exchange RDS website at http://responsibledown.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/RDS-101-V3.0-2019.07.01.pdf

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