What is GOTS certification?
GOTS, the Global Organic Textile Standard, is the leading worldwide certification for textiles made from organic fibres. It certifies not just the fibre but the whole way it is processed into a finished product, on environmental, chemical and social criteria, backed by independent third-party audits.
It begins where organic farming ends. Once the organic cotton, wool or linen is grown and certified on the farm, GOTS takes over for every step after that: spinning, knitting or weaving, dyeing, finishing, make-up, packaging, labelling and trading.
- It is a processing standard: the farm standard certifies how the fibre is grown; GOTS certifies what happens to it afterwards, so a GOTS label means the supply chain, not just the raw material, was audited.
The current version is GOTS 7.0, effective March 2024, with version 8.0 in development. It is a voluntary standard, but a serious one: it is referenced by the European Union, the OECD, the United Nations and the USDA as a credible mark of organic textile production.
Why GOTS matters for brands
On its own, the word organic on a garment means nothing verifiable. GOTS turns it into a claim a buyer can check, which is why it has become the default proof point for organic textiles and a defence against greenwashing.
- It makes organic a checkable claim: instead of a marketing word, a GOTS label ties the product to a named certifier and a certification number that trace back through every audited facility in the chain.
- It covers processing, not just fibre: a garment can be made from organic cotton and still be dyed with banned chemicals or sewn under poor labour conditions. GOTS closes that gap by auditing the making, not only the material.
- It is recognised where it counts: because governments and public procurement frameworks reference GOTS, it carries weight in regulated and export markets rather than being one more private logo.
For a brand, that turns a sustainability story into evidence. The cost is the discipline of keeping the whole supply chain certified, which is exactly what makes the claim credible.
The two label grades: 95% and 70%
GOTS uses two on-product label grades, set by how much of the fibre is certified organic. Both are sold as GOTS-certified; the difference is the organic content.
- Organic: at least 95% certified organic fibre. the higher grade. Up to 5% of the balance may be certain approved non-organic fibres, within strict limits.
- Made with organic: 70 to 94% certified organic fibre. the second grade, labelled with the exact percentage, for example made with 70% organic materials. The non-organic balance, up to 30%, must come from the GOTS-approved fibre list, so virgin polyester and prohibited materials are out.
- Below 70%, there is no GOTS claim: a product with less than 70% certified organic fibre cannot be labelled GOTS at all, which is what makes the mark meaningful rather than a token percentage. A garment that is only part organic simply falls outside the standard, so there is no watered-down GOTS grade to hide behind.
There are also in-conversion variants, for fibre from farms still transitioning to organic, labelled organic in-conversion. The percentage thresholds are the same.
What GOTS actually requires
The organic percentage is only the entry ticket. What makes GOTS strict is the set of requirements applied at every processing stage, in four broad areas.
- Organic fibre content: the 70 or 95 percent thresholds, with the raw fibre certified organic under a recognised farm standard before it enters the GOTS chain.
- Processing chemistry: all dyes and inputs are assessed against toxicity and biodegradability criteria; many substances are banned, GMOs and nanoparticles are prohibited, and wastewater from wet processing must be treated.
- Environmental management: certified facilities must manage energy and water use, waste and chemical storage, and keep records, so the environmental cost of processing is controlled, not just the fibre origin.
- Social criteria: GOTS sets labour requirements based on the core norms of the International Labour Organization, covering safe conditions, no child or forced labour, fair pay and working hours across the certified supply chain.
GOTS vs OCS, GRS and OEKO-TEX
GOTS is often confused with other textile labels that sit next to it on a hangtag. They certify different things, and only GOTS combines organic content with full processing, environmental and social rules.
- OCS (Organic Content Standard): tracks the organic fibre content and its chain of custody, but has no processing, chemical or social requirements, and a lower content floor. It answers how much is organic, not how it was processed.
- GRS (Global Recycled Standard): the recycled counterpart, not the organic one. It certifies recycled content plus social, environmental and chemical criteria, so it is the standard to look for on recycled rather than organic fibre.
- OEKO-TEX Standard 100: tests the finished product for harmful substances, a chemical-safety check. It says nothing about organic content, farming or labour, so a product can be OEKO-TEX certified with no organic fibre at all.
In short, OCS proves organic content, GRS proves recycled content, OEKO-TEX proves chemical safety, and GOTS proves organic content plus responsible processing. That is why the verification of an organic cotton claim usually comes back to GOTS.
How GOTS certification works
GOTS is not a badge a brand buys; it is earned facility by facility, through independent certification and an unbroken chain of custody.
- Every processor is certified: each company that handles the product, from the spinner to the brand of record, must hold its own GOTS certification. One uncertified link breaks the chain and the claim.
- Independent certification bodies: auditing is done by third-party Certification Bodies accredited to work under GOTS, not by GOTS or the brand itself, which is what keeps it independent.
- Annual on-site audits: certified facilities are inspected on site every year, with records reconciled so certified inputs and outputs add up, plus publicly disclosed enforcement when integrity fails.
- Scope and transaction certificates: a Scope Certificate confirms a facility is GOTS-certified and what it may do; a Transaction Certificate is issued for a specific shipment, so a buyer can verify a particular consignment, much like the GOTS chain of custody mirrors the recycled-standard system.
Getting certified typically takes several months and an annual audit fee per facility, scaled to size and location, which is why GOTS tends to be held by committed producers rather than one-off suppliers.
How to verify a GOTS claim
A GOTS logo printed on a hangtag is not proof on its own. A real GOTS claim carries the details that let you check it, and the absence of those details is the first red flag.
- Check the label grade and percentage: it should say organic or made with organic with a percentage, not just GOTS. A vague GOTS with no grade is a warning sign.
- Look for the certifier and number: a valid label names the Certification Body and a certification or licence number, which trace the product back through the certified chain.
- Ask for the certificates: for a sourcing decision, the meaningful evidence is the supplier's Scope Certificate and a Transaction Certificate for your order, not a logo on a photo.
The logo can be copied; the certificate and number can be looked up. Treat the paperwork, not the print, as the proof.
What GOTS does not do
Knowing the limits keeps a GOTS claim honest, and stops a brand from over-reading it.
- It does not certify the farm: GOTS starts after the fibre is grown. The organic growing is certified by a separate farm standard, one of the recognised organic agriculture systems, which GOTS relies on as its input.
- It is not a harmful-substance test: that is what OEKO-TEX does. GOTS restricts and bans inputs during processing, but it is not a finished-product residue test.
- It is a fibre-and-process claim, not a full footprint: GOTS does not measure a garment's carbon or water footprint the way a life-cycle assessment would. It certifies practices, not a single impact number.
Read that way, GOTS is a strong, specific claim, that the organic fibre and its processing were audited to a strict standard, rather than a blanket proof of sustainability.
How to use GOTS in sourcing
On a sourcing brief or spec, GOTS is only worth naming if you name it precisely and then verify it, the same discipline as any other requirement.
- Specify the grade: state whether you require organic (95%) or made with organic (70%), because the two are different products and price points.
- Require the certificates: ask for the supplier's current Scope Certificate and a Transaction Certificate per shipment, and check the certifier and number rather than trusting the logo.
- Keep the whole chain in scope: confirm each processor in your chain is certified, not just the mill, and treat GOTS alongside your other compliance obligations, not as a substitute for them.
Knowing which certification, grade and evidence fit a given product and market is the fashion-native detail Apshan's Nari knowledge graph answers, cited to source, inside the AI assistant your team already uses. Request access.