Global Standard Glossary

The Standard Setting Procedure is a procedure by which the Standard Body establishes, reviews, and updates the criteria for the production, processing and labelling of certified textiles.

Committee formed by GOTS to guide and advise the GOTS Management and the Advisory Council on matters related to GOTS.

A group of experts representing all aspects of the textile value chain and tasked with being the decisive committee for decisions on the revision of the GOTS Standard and its Implementation Manual.

An entity in the supply chain of GOTS Goods performing job work (in the field of processing or manufacturing) for a Certified Entity without becoming the proprietor of the GOTS Goods. A Subcontractor may be independently certified to GOTS.

Chemical elements and their compounds as they occur in the natural state or as produced by industry.

The total weight of the following:
a) Non-certified accessories which are excluded from material composition; and/or
b) for combined products with one or more certified components, the total weight of the product minus the weight of the certified components.

In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030, all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

Polymers that are solid and which fulfil both of the following conditions:
(a) are contained in particles and constitute at least 1 % by weight of those particles; or build a continuous surface coating on particles;
(b) at least 1 % by weight of the particles referred to in point (a) fulfil either of the following conditions:
  (i) all dimensions of the particles are equal to or less than 5 mm;
  (ii) the length of the particles is equal to or less than 15 mm and their length to diameter ratio is greater than 3.

Following synthetic polymer microparticles, as substances on their own or in mixtures are exempted from the definition:
(a) synthetic polymer microparticles which are contained by technical means so that releases to the environment are prevented when used in accordance with the instructions for use during the intended end use;
(b) synthetic polymer microparticles the physical properties of which are permanently modified during intended end use in such a way that the polymer no longer falls within the scope of this entry;
(c) synthetic polymer microparticles which are permanently incorporated into a solid matrix during intended end use.

Source: REACH restriction of synthetic polymer microparticles

Textile products used for babies and small children up to the age of 36 months

Any device that does not penetrate inside the body, either through a body orifice or through the skin

The ability to trace the origin of an object back to its source.
In a GOTS context, the ability to trace a GOTS Good as it moves through its supply chain.

Entity trading with (=buying and selling) GOTS Goods in the supply chain between the producer of the fibre and the retail merchant of the final product regardless of whether the goods are physically received or not (e.g. an import, export or wholesale trading entity).
Agents who do not become proprietors of the goods and retailers only selling to the end consumer are not considered Traders.

A document issued by a GOTS-approved Certification Body for GOTS-certified products, verifying their compliance with the Standard. It provides traceability by listing product details, shipment information and confirming integrity through volume reconciliation process.

The time period between the publication of a new version of the Standard and its effective date.

A B2C entity that sells GOTS-certified products to the end consumer, not engaged in repacking/relabelling/printing/cutting/any other processing, and that is is exempted from the certification.

A a type of remote audit that is conducted entirely online, using virtual tools and platforms to assess compliance with the relevant Standard criteria.

Calculation process by which it is ascertained that output volumes of a product’s certified materials are compatible with their corresponding input volumes. Input volume and output volume of the certified material used for a product are compatible if their ratio falls within a given percentage range, which reflects estimated production losses specific to the production process of the particular product, and if the input volume can be demonstrated to have been available on stock.

The difference between average Living Wage and Average Wages Paid to
Workers in a Certified Entity.

The Waste Hierarchy is the priority order of waste management options established in Article 4 of the EU Waste Framework Directive (Directive 2008/98/EC). It ranks waste prevention and management strategies from the most to the least environmentally preferred, with the aim of reducing overall environmental impact and promoting resource efficiency.

A subsidiary company is considered wholly owned when all of the common stock is owned by another company, the parent company. With a wholly owned subsidiary, the company's stock is not traded publicly. It remains an independent legal body, a corporation with its own organized framework and administration. Its day-to-day operations are likely directed entirely by the parent company, however.

Any individual engaged in work who is not a senior manager or owner.

A Worker who is older than the minimum age but less than 18 years old.