Responsible Down Standard
RESPONSIBLE DOWN STANDARD
The Responsible Down Standard safeguards the welfare of geese and ducks that provide down and feathers for the products we all love.
OUR GOALS
The Responsible Down Standard ensures that down and feathers come from ducks and geese that have been treated well. This means enabling them to live healthy lives, express innate behaviors, and not suffer from pain, fear or distress. The standard also follows the chain of custody from farm to product, so consumers can be confident that the down and feathers in the products they choose are truly RDS.
WHAT IS THE RDS?
The Responsible Down Standard (RDS) describes and independently certifies animal welfare practices in down and feather production and tracks the certified down and feathers from farm to final product.
KEY POINTS IN THE STANDARD
WHEN A BRAND CHOOSES TO USE THE RDS
A number of things happen:
Daniadown's supply, manufacturing and distribution operations has been Certified to RDS by Control Union. Our RDS Certification Number is #841317.
The Responsible Down Standard safeguards the welfare of geese and ducks that provide down and feathers for the products we all love.
OUR GOALS
The Responsible Down Standard ensures that down and feathers come from ducks and geese that have been treated well. This means enabling them to live healthy lives, express innate behaviors, and not suffer from pain, fear or distress. The standard also follows the chain of custody from farm to product, so consumers can be confident that the down and feathers in the products they choose are truly RDS.
WHAT IS THE RDS?
The Responsible Down Standard (RDS) describes and independently certifies animal welfare practices in down and feather production and tracks the certified down and feathers from farm to final product.
KEY POINTS IN THE STANDARD
- Any removal of down and feathers from live birds (live-plucking or molt-harvesting) is prohibited
- Force-feeding is prohibited
- The welfare of the birds is respected at all times: from hatching to slaughter
- RDS down and feathers is properly identified at all times; this ensures that non-RDS down and feathers are not mistakenly identified as RDS
- The entire supply chain is audited by a professional, third party certification body
- Only products with 100% certified down and feathers carry the RDS logo
WHEN A BRAND CHOOSES TO USE THE RDS
A number of things happen:
- The brand talks to their suppliers to get a clear picture of their down supply chain. Eventually each step of the supply chain, all the way to the farm, will get certified by an approved third-party (called a Certification Body)
- The certification process involves two steps. On-site audit: an inspector visits a factory or company, does a visual inspection, checks documents and procedures, and interviews staff and workers. The results from this visit is called an audit report. Certification decision: the audit report is sent to a certifier who will review all the results, and decide whether the company is issued certification or not.
- Every certification conducted by a Certification Body involves two people: an inspector and a certifier. This is called the ‘four eyes principle’.
- On farms and slaughterhouses (anywhere animals are present) the Certification Body checks the well being of the animals, looks for any evidence of live plucking or force-feeding, and makes sure everything is done in accordance with the standard.
- At factories and manufacturers the Certification Body checks the RDS materials (down, feathers, jackets, duvets, etc.) that enter and leave a factory to make sure they are properly identified. RDS products are tracked as they move through production, and kept separate from non-certified products.
Daniadown's supply, manufacturing and distribution operations has been Certified to RDS by Control Union. Our RDS Certification Number is #841317.