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GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILE STANDARD
ECOLOGY & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Global Standard Glossary

There are 8 entries in this glossary.
Term Definition
AC

The Advisory Council is the decisive committee for relevant organisational, structural and operational issues of the Global Standard gGmbH, the operating body of the Global Organic Textile Standard. It is set up by way of organisational statutes by the founding Organisations of GOTS.

Accessories

Items that are added to supplement GOTS Goods for required functional or for fashionable reasons. Most commonly used Accessories are listed in Section 3.3. The processing of those Accessories is not under the direct scope of the GOTS on-site certification system. GOTS criteria that applies to Accessories are listed in Sections 3.3 and 5.2.8.

Accompanying Labelling Information

Consists of three elements in the specified order: label grade,  reference to the Approved Certification Body, and the license number of the Certified Entity. 

Accreditation Body

An authoritative body or organisation which evaluates and confirms that a conformity assessment body, e.g., a Certification Body, is deemed capable of carrying out certain assessment tasks, e.g., certification, inspection, or testing, regarding a particular formally defined standard. This attestation relies primarily on a formal demonstration of its task-specific competence by the conformity assessment body, evaluated via professional and objective audits by the Accreditation Body, typically by way of ISO/IEC 17065 : "Conformity assessment — Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services".

Advisory Council

The Advisory Council is the decisive committee for relevant organisational, structural and operational issues of the Global Standard gGmbH, the operating body of the Global Organic Textile Standard. It is set up by way of organisational statutes by the founding Organisations of GOTS.

Approved Certification Body

A Certification Body, having been duly accredited by an Accreditation Body and by way of signing a contract with Global Standard gGmbH has been permitted to implement the Global Organic Textile Standard over a designated geogprahical area and for specific scopes of the Standard.

Approved Certifier

A Certification Body, having been duly accredited by an Accreditation Body and by way of signing a contract with Global Standard gGmbH has been permitted to implement the Global Organic Textile Standard over a designated geogprahical area and for specific scopes of the Standard.

Audit

A systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which the Standard's requirements (including environmental and social criteria) are fulfilled by a Certified Entity or applicant for the status of Certified Entity. Audits are conducted by Approved Certification Bodies (see "Approved Certification Body").