Responsible Down Standard (RDS) Certification Explained

Type: Cruelty-Free

Country: International

Established: 2014

Scope

Down and feather products

Audit rigor

Level: third-party-audit. Supply-chain verified: Yes.

Cost for brands

Third-party audit fee. Full supply chain certification required.

Recognized in

Global — used by North Face, Patagonia, H&M

Notes

Certifies that down and feathers come from birds that have not been live-plucked or force-fed. This is an animal welfare standard — not a vegan certification. RDS-certified products still contain animal-derived down and are not vegan. Vegans should look for products explicitly labelled 'synthetic fill' using materials like PrimaLoft, Thinsulate, or THERMOLITE.