Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is a leading worldwide standard for textiles made from organic fibers. It ensures environmentally and socially responsible production throughout the supply chain, covering everything from raw material harvesting to labeling and marketing. GOTS certification signifies adherence to strict criteria for organic fibers, eco-friendly processing, and fair labor practice, providing assurance of high environmental and ethical standards in textiles.
Certification Process
GOTS, or the Global Organic Textile Standard, guarantees the integrity of organic textiles via on-site inspections and certification throughout the supply chain. Operators, spanning post-harvest handlers to importers, undergo annual inspections for GOTS certification. This process includes a comprehensive review, assessing bookkeeping, processing systems, identification processes, chemical inputs, wastewater treatment, and social criteria compliance.
Certification requires strict adherence to criteria for organic fibers, eco-friendly processing, and fair labor practices.
GOTS offers two certification documents:
Scope Certificates (SCs): Confirm a supplier’s compliance with GOTS criteria for processing goods, ensuring organic fiber use, environmentally friendly processing, and fair labor practices.
Transaction Certificates (TCs): Validate that final products meet GOTS criteria for organic integrity and sustainability, assuring consumers of the ethical and organic attributes of their purchases.
Certification Bodies
GOTS-approved certification bodies are responsible for conducting on-site inspections, verifying compliance, and ultimately granting certification to textile supply chain operators. The certification bodies cover specific scopes, including mechanical and wet textile processing, trading operations, and the approval of textile auxiliary agents.
The global network of certification bodies ensures that GOTS certification is accessible and attainable for textile producers worldwide.
