The Global Organic textile standard, also known by its acronym GOTS, was established in 2006 by four internationally renowned organizations, two of which are textile industry organizations and two which are dedicated to organic agriculture and food. By 2008, they were presenting their GOTS certified label to the world. After that, it is fair to say they became the leading international certification for organic fibers. On this matter, they do not only ensure that the source material is organic, they go as far as to evaluate after-the-picking processes such as spinning, weaving, knitting, wet-processing, manufacturing and trading.
A product cannot bear the GOTS certified label until the final product has complied with the GOTS criteria on all stages of the production . They've designed their standard in such a way that it complies with the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals and aim to be the number one holistic certification to textile end-products in the world. By 2019, the number of GOTS certified facilities globally increased to 7,765, counting 3 million workers in 70 countries covered under GOTS.
We have mapped GOTS Certification to:
- Reducing Carbon Emissions
- Protecting Ecosystems
- Empowering Human Rights
GOTS Certifies:
- Companies
- Products
- Suppliers & Manufacturers
Cost to get certified:
The certification costs very much depend on the number of locations, size, type of entity and range of products intended for certification. A rough estimate would be $1,200 to $3,000 euros per facility. In addition to the certification fee there is an annual fee of $150 euros for each facility inspected for the certified entity.
Do they perform audits on companies:
Yes, there's a broad range of options when it comes to certification bodies and they all have their own way of auditing, the list can be found here. Constant monitoring is also mentioned on their processes. Even when the COVID-19 pandemic restricted official on-site audits, the GOTS program developed a virtual Audit program that can be found here.
Standards listed on their website:
Yes, the official Global Organic Textile Standard version 6.0 last updated March 2021 can be read and downloaded here.
