GOTS’ Simple Show Video Now Available In Japanese and for Embedding

GOTS’ popular Simple Show video clip explaining the standard in a brief and engaging manner is now available in Japanese (it is already available in English and German). The video focuses on the importance of addressing organic textile processing and proper labeling (particularly how use of the logo should be complete with the license number and certifier reference. Companies and organizations are welcome to watch the 4-minute video on the GOTS website in any of the three languages, or download it from YouTube and embed it on their websites.

GOTS Transaction Certificates Requirements for Retailers Changed

GOTS has clarified the “Record keeping & internal quality assurance” policy (chapter 2.4.13) which states that “Certified Entities purchasing GOTS Goods must receive and maintain GOTS transaction certificates, issued by an Approved Certifier for the whole quantity of GOTS Goods purchased." We have clarified that certified retailers are not required to receive TCs for shipments of GOTS Goods labelled with the license number of the supplier, but only if they purchase GOTS Goods labelled with their own license number. This interpretation advice / derogation is valid from now onwards and has been published on our website.

Job Opportunity: GOTS EU Representative (Brands)

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is the worldwide leading textile processing standard for organic fibres, including ecological and social criteria. We are a non-profit organization and are looking for an EU representative to promote GOTS to leading brands and retailers through a relationship-based approach. The overall aim is to achieve maximum use of GOTS by brands and retailers in Europe.

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Got GOTS Photos?

We are looking for photographs of GOTS certified products showing the diversity of GOTS products available in today’s marketplace for use in our GOTS Annual Report 2015, to be published in Spring, 2016, as well as in our international presentations. If GOTS licensees would like to submit images, please send images in jpeg format with copyright permission by e-mail to , or provide a download link. The products in the image must show a correct on-product GOTS labelling. The deadline is January 20, 2016. Thank you in advance for your support!

USA: Consumer Reports Gives GOTS “Best” Rating for Mattresses

Consumer Reports, the highly respected U.S.-based consumer research organization, has given GOTS its “Best” rating when it comes to safe mattress ratings. In its December 15 announcement “Organic Mattress Labels You Can Trust” (with accompanying video), the organization states “An organic mattress should have 95% or more organic fiber, and should prohibit potentially harmful materials and chemicals used in processing.”

GOTS Named Partner in Excellence to the CSR of China Textile Industry

During the 10th anniversary celebration of social responsibility practice in China, the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC) gave GOTS an award for being an Excellent Partner for bringing corporate social responsibility to the Chinese Textile Industry from 2005 to 2015.
GOTS was among 13 award-winning entities including UN Women, the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Embassy of Sweden, the Business and Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), and Solidaridad. We are honored to receive this award, and look forward to further constructive collaboration with CNTAC and our stakeholders in China.

Official Support for Organic Cotton in China

On August 26, GOTS’ Representative for Greater China Felicia Shi spoke at the high-level roundtable on "Building a Successful Business Model - Organic Cotton from Farm to Fabric," co-organized by RARE and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textile and Apparel and supported by C&A Foundation and WWF. She introduced the GOTS program and the trend of increased certification to the standard both in China and internationally, as well as the reality and challenge of organic cotton production. Attending Chinese authorities indicated their interest in promoting organic cotton production by building up a platform for knowledge-sharing to enable the sustainable development of cotton industry and benefit the environment. They further highlighted the needs for growing the organic cotton market in China by instituting favorable policies. China's Ministry of Commerce posted about the presentation on its official website which indicates official support from the Chinese government for promotion of organic cotton.

ENGEL SPORTS honoured with the German Federal Ecodesign Award

For the comprehensive approach of its new brand ENGEL SPORTS, the ENGEL GmbH has been granted the 2015 German Federal Ecodesign Award by the jury of the International Design Center Berlin in cooperation with the federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety in the category “product”.
Sustainable consumption, which is the key for changes in consumer behaviour, is thus encouraged by this approach as it is both lived consistently and put into practice by the producer. The environment minister, Dr. Barbara Hendricks and the president of the Federal Environment Agency, Maria Krautzberger, presented the trophy.

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MOM’s Organic Market is First Grocery Chain in World to Require GOTS and Labeling for Organic Textile Products

As of January 1, 2016, MOM's Organis Market – a chain of grocery stores in the Washington, DC area – will require that any textile product sold in its stores making an organic claim be certified to GOTS and be properly labeled with the GOTS logo, license number, and label grade for full traceability purposes. By labelling GOTS the store’s new policy goes beyond the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2011 organic textile policy memorandum addressing how organic fiber-claiming products may be labeled. MOM’s Organic Market appears to be the only grocery chain in the world to have developed such a procurement policy. In the NGO sector, both Swiss Olympics and Greenpeace have procurement policies requiring only GOTS for their cotton products.

Soil Association report: Organic Cotton Production Reduces GHG, Water and Energy Use

Switching to organic production could reduce the global warming impact of cotton production by 46% compared to non-organic cotton production, reduce consumption of scarce fresh water by over 90%, and decrease energy use by over 60%, according to Cool Cotton – Organic Cotton and Climate Change, a recent Soil Association report. The organization notes that conventional cotton has been called the world’s dirtiest crop due to its heavy use of insecticides and water, high greenhouse gas emissions, and land use practices. Globally, cotton production releases 220 million tonnes of CO2e, and one tonne of non-organic cotton produces 1.8 tonnes of CO2e.

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Textile Exchange Benchmark Report Shows Industry Sustainability Progress

Textile Exchange’s “Benchmark Program” allows companies to track their own progress and relate it to others’ experience and results in four main areas: sustainability strategy, supply chain, materials usage, and sales and marketing. According to highlights from its recent report, Benchmark Program for Organic Cotton and Preferred Materials, 93% of companies report to have a vision or mission to be more sustainable, the majority (81%) are addressing raw materials use at the strategy level with 74% setting individual targets for specific materials, 70% of companies use a voluntary sustainability standard to help them ensure the integrity of their organic products with 64% tracking other preferred materials,  74% are reporting the amount of organic cotton they consume, and 81% claim to be communicating the sustainability attributes of their products to their customers.

Study Finds Glyphosate in Cotton Hygiene Products

A recent study by researchers at the University of La Plata in Argentina has found the herbicide glyphosate in cotton hygiene products, including tampons, cotton balls, and sanitary pads. Last March, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that the herbicide should be classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A).” All of the raw and sterile cotton gauze analyzed in the study showed evidence of glyphosate, according to Dr. Damian Marino, the study's head researcher. Glyphosate is prohibited in organic agriculture. Only textile products that contain a minimum of 70% organic fibres can become GOTS certified. The organic certification of fibres on the basis of recognised international or national standards (IFOAM Family of Standards, EEC 834/2007, USDA NOP) is key criteria for fibre production under GOTS.

GOTS ON THE MOVE

January 19-21: Ethical Fashion Show Berlin, Germany. GOTS Marketing Director and Germany/Austria/ Switzerland Representative Claudia Kersten hosts a booth and gives a lecture on January 21, “GOTS for everybody - from small to large - from fibre to fashion. Responsibilities and benefits.” Contact: 

January 23-25: Innatex in Wallau  Germany. GOTS Marketing Director and Germany/Austria/Switzerland Representative Claudia Kersten hosts a booth, gives a lecture “GOTS for everybody - from small to large - from fibre to fashion. Responsibilities and benefits,” and shows the GOTS film and Simple Show clip. Contact: 

January 25: Texworld USA Winter 2016 in New York City, NY. GOTS North America Representative Sandra Marquardt presents on the "Latest on Standards and Sustainability" panel January 25. Contact:

February 2-4:  Munich Fabric Start, Germany. GOTS Marketing Director and Germany/Austria/Switzerland Representative Claudia Kersten hosts a booth and gives a lecture “GOTS for everybody - from small to large - from fibre to fashion. Responsibilities and benefits.”  Contact:

February 10-12: BioFach Japan, Tokyo. GOTS Japan representative Miyoshi Satoko will host a booth and give a lecture. Contact: 

March 16-18: Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics Spring Edition 2016, China. GOTS Representative for Greater China Felicia Shi will host a booth in the "All About Sustainability Zone" and give a lecture on March 17. Contact: