GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILE STANDARD

ECOLOGY & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

GOTS has released exceptional measures for GOTS Certified Entities which are affected by the earthquake in Southeast Turkey and surrounding regions.
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GOTS people

Advisory Council

The Advisory Council is the decision making committee for all relevant structural and political issues related to the Global Organic Textile Standard programme. Its members are nominated by the founding organisations. The Advisory Council meets annually.

Advisory Council

Chris Atkinson

Soil Association, Head of Standards

Heike Hess

International Association Natural Textile Industry

Tsuyoshi Maeda

Japan Organic Cotton Association

Gwendolyn Wyard

Organic Trade Association, Vice President, Regulatory and Technical Affairs

Standards Committee

The final decision about the Standard and Manual content and the interpretation of the Standard are taken by the members of the GOTS Standards Committee. These are experts representing all aspects of the textile value chain appointed by the founding organisations. The Committee is coordinated by the Director Standards Development and Quality Assurance, Rahul Bhajekar. The Terms of Reference of the Standards Committee are presently under review and this text will be revised accordingly as soon as possible.
The Standards Committee has the following main functions/authorities:

Generating revisions of the Standard and the Implementation Manual.
Developing the Labelling Guide and supervision of labelling applications.
Developing the accreditation system and related qualification and quality assurance requirements for certification bodies.
Supervision of accredited certification bodies to ascertain their adherence to, and consistent interpretation of, the GOTS and related stipulations.

Standards Committee

Elizabeth Bennett

Joseph M. Ha Associate Professor of International Affairs and Director of Political Economy, Lewis & Clark College (Portland, OR, US); Fellow, Carr Center for Human Rights, Harvard Kennedy School (Cambridge, MA, US)

Rahul Bhajekar

Managing Director

Sarah Compson

Soil Association, International Development Manager

Jan Furstenborg

Social Expert, Member of GSCP and SAI (SA8000) Boards

Markus Krüger

International Association Natural Textile Industry, Coordinator of IVN Standard Committee

Mutsumi Sakuyoshi

Japan Organic Cotton Association, Member of JOCA Board of Directors, Representative Director of Japan Organic Inspectors Association, Organic Inspector

Certifiers Council

GOTS approved certification bodies are responsible for the implementation of the GOTS quality assurance system. In this function they use the standard, procedures and tools of the GOTS Programme on a daily basis. Drawing on the broad expertise gathered during this work is vital for GOTS in order to further develop its functioning and practical system in the market.

For the purpose of facilitating this, GOTS established the Certifiers Council in which each approved certification body is represented by a responsible expert. The Certifiers Council has an advisory function with regard to all issues related to the GOTS quality assurance system. The collaboration of all approved GOTS certification bodies in this unique forum is an important prerequisite for a consistent interpretation of the criteria and requirements of the standard. Coordinated by the GOTS Director of Standards and Quality Assurance, the Certifiers Council makes proposals to the Standards Committee.

Certifiers Council

Dr. Mustafa Akyüz

ETKO

Rahul Bhajekar

Managing Director

Dr. Binay Kumar Choudhury

CU Inspections India

Vincent Duret

Ecocert Greenlife

Jack Ge

Kaixin

Adam Golubowski

Control Union Certifications

Selin Işlakca

Control Union Gozetim ve Belgelendirme

Kirtis Kennard

IDFL

Amir Khan

Intertek

Ulrike Kisteneich

Kiwa BCS

Pedro Landa

OIA

Carol Liu

Bureau Veritas

Costanza Marri

CCPB

Inês Mexia de Almeida

Agricert

Luis Miralles Esteve

Eurofins

Abdul Mottaleb

GSCS International Ltd.

Mahesh Nabadawewa

Clean Globe International

Rui Oliveira

APCER

Sara Oliveira

CTV

Ed Palairet

Soil Association

Giuseppe Portarapillo

ICEA

Rajesh Selva

GCL International

Nesrin Serin

USB Certification

Elizabeth Tigan

Oregon Tilth

Jimi Wang

TÜV Rheinland (China)

Angela Zinni

CERES

General Staff

In 2008, the four founding organisations set up a legal entity under German law: "Global Standard gemeinnützige GmbH" (Global Standard non-profit limited liability company). Charged with executing the Global Organic Textile Standard programme, this legal entity, conducts all regulatory activities in connection with the implementation of GOTS and its quality assurance, as well as the related labelling system. It is the proprietor of the GOTS label, which is registered as a trademark in relevant production countries and sales markets for organic textile goods.

Managing Directors

Rahul Bhajekar

Managing Director

Claudia Kersten

Managing Director

Administration

Jacqueline Schneider

Executive Assistant

Advisors

Herbert Ladwig

Policy and Legal Advisor

Representatives

GOTS has appointed several representatives who operate in a global network to promote GOTS in their respective regions and around the world. To date, regional representatives have been appointed in the major sales markets of the USA/Canada, Germany/Austria/Switzerland, Japan, the United Kingdom and in the most important production countries: China, India, Bangladesh, Turkey and Africa. GOTS also employs representatives with special targets such as the European Union and global fashion brands.