GOTS — Global Organic Textile Standard — is the certification your brand needs if you want to make credible, legally defensible organic cotton claims on your products. This guide explains what GOTS covers, what it means for your brand's marketing and how to verify that your manufacturer genuinely holds it.
What is GOTS?
GOTS is an international standard for organic textiles that covers the entire textile production chain — from the harvesting of the raw organic fibre through yarn spinning, fabric production, dyeing, finishing and garment manufacturing. It is managed by four international organisations: Organic Trade Association (US), International Association Natural Textile Industry (Germany), Organic Textile Market (France) and Japan Organic Cotton Association.
GOTS is the most comprehensive organic textile standard available and is recognised by retailers and regulators in the UK, EU, USA and globally as the credible benchmark for organic textile claims.
What GOTS Requires
To be GOTS certified, every stage of production must meet strict criteria:
- Fibre — minimum 70% certified organic natural fibre in the finished product. For the "organic" label (not "made with organic"), 95% minimum is required.
- Processing — all processing (dyeing, finishing, washing) must use non-toxic, biodegradable chemicals from an approved list. Over 100 commonly used textile chemicals are banned.
- Wastewater — all facilities must treat wastewater to defined standards before discharge.
- Social compliance — GOTS requires compliance with ILO labour standards throughout the certified supply chain.
- Traceability — every stage of the supply chain must be certified and documented, creating a complete audit trail from farm to finished garment.
What You Can Claim with GOTS Certification
- 95%+ organic content — can label "organic [fibre name]" e.g. "Organic Cotton"
- 70–95% organic content — can label "made with organic [fibre name]" e.g. "Made with Organic Cotton"
- Both labels can carry the GOTS logo if licensed through your manufacturer
Without GOTS certification from your manufacturer, you cannot legally use the GOTS logo or make unqualified organic cotton claims. Under UK and EU green claims regulations, unsubstantiated organic claims risk regulatory action and reputational damage.
How to Verify Your Manufacturer's GOTS Certification
- Go to global-standard.org and search the GOTS public database
- Search by company name or country
- Check the certificate is current (not expired)
- Check the scope covers your product category
- Request a transaction certificate for each order — this documents that specific production run is covered
GOTS vs OCS: Which Do You Need?
If your product is 100% or predominantly organic cotton and you want to make a straightforward organic claim — GOTS is required. If your product is a blend (e.g. 50% organic cotton / 50% recycled polyester) and you want to make an organic content claim without the full GOTS scope — OCS (Organic Content Standard) is the appropriate certification. Both are valid; the choice depends on your product composition and the strength of the organic claim you want to make.