The 1st Stakeholder Input Period (16 May-30 July) in the formal revision process to develop GOTS Version 4.0 was very productive. 200 individual contributions plus some comments on these contributions have been received by 14 organisations representing all relevant aspects of GOTS including organic production, environmental textile processing, textile chemistry and social criteria. We are thankful and delighted about the quantity and high quality of the contributions received, which demonstrates the huge interest and impact of our standard in the sector and will help to further increase its quality and feasibility. Specific topics that received extensive contributions include the criteria and assessment procedures for chemical inputs, the approach towards sustainable options for the non-organic fibre share (recycled fibres, regenerated fibres from organic/sustainable renewable sources) and on-site inspection requirements including social auditing practices.
The GOTS Technical Committee has already started to thoroughly evaluate and assess the contributions and will consult further experts as necessary to complete the 2nd Revision Draft. The 2nd Revision Draft will be published on 1 November 2013 on the revision blog together with a detailed overview document with observations on each individual contribution. This will be followed by a 2nd Stakeholder Input Period in which participants can provide final comments to the observations provided by the Technical Committee and/or to the changes made from the 1st to the 2nd draft.
GOTS Version 4.0 and the related Manual are intended to be released in March 2014.