If you’re interested in buying organic clothes, you may have come across GOTS.

If you’re interested in purchasing organic clothing, you’ve probably come across GOTS. Maybe you recognize the logo or know what it stands for, but if you haven’t delved deeper into GOTS, we recommend reading on. As a GOTS-certified brand of organic baby and children’s clothing, we’ve compiled everything you need to know about GOTS.

GOTS stands for Global Organic Textile Standard, and it’s a set of criteria that establishes the organic status of textile products, from the harvesting of raw materials to labeling. These standards ensure that textile products are manufactured in an environmentally friendly and ethical manner. GOTS certification is one of the most recognized organic standards worldwide, especially in the global textile industry. Certification standards are essential to ensuring that garments are produced sustainably, and certificates and quality marks prove that textiles are created under environmentally responsible and socially responsible conditions. GOTS indicates that the textile brand uses methods that are friendly to humans, animals, and the planet throughout the resource use, production, and distribution processes.

GOTS was created by four established organizations: Organic Trade Association (OTA, USA), Internationaler Verband der Naturtextilwirtschaft (IVN, Germany), The Soil Association (UK), and Japan Organic Cotton Association (JOCA, Japan). Two of these organizations (IVN and JOCA) are textile industry organizations, while the other two (OTA and Soil Association) are organic agriculture and food organizations. Together, they have extensive experience in promoting organic standards, and they developed processing standards for organic textiles that resulted in the creation of GOTS for international recognition.

Since its launch in 2006, GOTS has demonstrated its practical applicability. The GOTS label has stringent guidelines and certification processes. To be GOTS certified, the entire processing and production chain (from post-harvest processing to sewing, packaging, and labeling) and B2B merchants (traders selling to other businesses such as importers, exporters, or wholesalers) must adhere to these strict processes. Any raw material producer, processor, textile manufacturer, distributor, importer, brand, or player in the textile industry can obtain the GOTS certificate.

GOTS was established for ecologically and socially responsible textile production, and it mandates various requirements to ensure this. GOTS has different classifications. The “made with organic” label class indicates that the fabric contains at least 70% organic fiber. The “organic” label class indicates that the fabric contains at least 95% organic fiber. The basic requirements that must be implemented at the production stage to obtain the GOTS certificate are based on the following objectives:

• Having a wastewater treatment system as part of their environmental management program.
• Complying with GOTS social criteria based on the basic norms of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
• Implementing a written environmental policy.
• Maintaining complete and comprehensive records on wastewater treatment, including wet processing units, chemicals, energy, water consumption, and sludge disposal.
• Treating wastewater from all wet processing units in an external functional wastewater treatment plant.

GOTS-certified products are subject to rigorous evaluation of all chemical inputs, such as dyes, auxiliaries, and process chemicals, to ensure they meet basic requirements for toxicity. The use of toxic heavy metals, formaldehyde, aromatic solvents, and GMOs is prohibited. Accessories must also meet strict restrictions on unwanted residues. Packaging material cannot contain PVC.

GOTS is a dynamic standard that continuously encourages progress towards better textile processing methods. The GOTS organization regularly updates its standards with input from international stakeholder organizations and experts. Every three years, a revision process takes place in which GOTS collaborates with international stakeholders. The most recent version of GOTS, GOTS version 6.0, was released in 2020. While GOTS criteria may be refined with each version, GOTS-certified products generally guarantee the following:

• Safe and non-toxic products for consumers and workers.
• No use of harmful chemicals and toxic heavy metals.
• Ethical and sustainable production processes, from the harvesting of raw materials to labeling.
• Compliance with social criteria based on the basic norms of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
• Transparent and complete record-keeping of all processes and inputs used in production.
• Regular on-site inspections and evaluations by independent certification bodies.

GOTS certification ensures sustainable production processes throughout all stages, from cotton harvesting to clothing production. The certification requires that all raw materials come from sustainable sources and emphasizes water management. In addition, all GOTS-certified products must be eco-friendly and free of toxic heavy metals, formaldehyde, aromatic solvents, and GMOs. The certification also requires companies to have an environmental protection policy in place. GOTS certification also ensures fair working conditions for employees, without the use of child labor and for a wage that enables a decent life. Look for the GOTS label on products at the time of purchase, including the GOTS logo, classification, certification body details and license number, and/or certified body name. By choosing GOTS-certified products, you can feel confident that you are making a sustainable, non-toxic choice that respects both the environment and the people involved in the production process.