What is “GOTS Certified”?
“Certified textile products show your commitment to environmental and social responsibility. The GOTS certification is more than just a label, it is a symbol of trust and transparency in the textile supply chain – from field to finished goods in stores.”
On the back of the tags for our cotton produce bags, deluxe grocery totes, straining bags, and more, you’ll notice a little green circle -- that’s our GOTS Certification!
The Global Organic Textile Standard, aka “GOTS”, is the top tier standard for organic textiles, fabrics, and fibers. This worldwide certification standard can be applied to products like clothing, rugs, cloth bags, and much more. Not only does it ensure the organic nature of a crop’s growing conditions in the field, GOTS actually certifies multiple factors across the entire supply chain! This includes the growing, harvesting, processing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, trading, and distribution of an item and the materials that go into making it. With a strict set of guidelines to encompass both the environmental and social aspects of the supply chain, the GOTS certification proves to be one of the most rigorous certifications to achieve in the textile business. This certification not only applies to the individual products themselves, but specifies the companies which are dedicated to sustainable practices and environmentally friendly behavior too.
ABOUT OUR CERTIFICATION
Here at Simple Ecology, we are extremely proud to be a GOTS certified company! We feel that it’s our duty to be as transparent about our products and manufacturing processes as possible, so that we can all benefit from clean products and a healthy environment.
To boil it down, a GOTS certification ensures that the materials and methods used to create a product uphold the environmental and social regulations of their standard. Organic materials are to be planted in non-chemically treated soil and grown without the use of chemical or toxic pesticides and herbicides. During processing, the fibers are not to be treated with harsh chemicals banned or restricted due to environmental or toxicological impacts, such as commonly used bleaches and dyes, or added chemicals such as endocrine disruptors, formaldehyde, and heavy metals. Additionally, wastewater from wet processing (like dyeing) must be treated to remove pollutants before being discharged.
On the social side of the criteria, all manufacturers and processors involved must comply with the quality expressed in the International Bill of Human Rights. This guarantees fair working conditions including freedom of employment, limiting working hours with mandated rest periods, no workplace harassment or discrimination, banning child labor, guaranteeing fair wages, and so much more. It is vital to the sustainability movement that people, not just the products, are as thoughtfully considered and taken care of as possible, to ensure that we all are able to thrive in a healthier world.
All GOTS certifications have to be renewed annually, so you know that the quality of goods and ethical practices will not drop off after initial approval. Our own certification is monitored and approved yearly by Oregon Tilth, a third-party non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining organic & sustainable agriculture practices. By understanding what goes into a GOTS certification, you can understand what a rigorous standard this is to meet, and how pure the manufacturing of these products actually are, by both ecological or social standards.
While many companies claim to be offering “organic” products, it’s hard to know what’s the truth or what’s just another marketing ploy. Real organic materials and products will have clear labeling and a verification number attached to them, not just phrasing or a symbol claiming to be organic. If they truly are GOTS certified, they will have the GOTS tag AND the certification number directly underneath, one without the other does not verify certification. And if you see a $0.99 bag claiming to be organic, be wary, as truly organic and ethically manufactured cotton is at least 3 - 4 times as expensive as conventional cotton made with dubious labor practices. We at Simple Ecology would like to encourage you to practice a healthy dose of skepticism, and look into any products or companies which claim to be organic to see if they meet these same standards.
WHAT IT TAKES TO BE GOTS CERTIFIED
Here is what encompasses the GOTS Standard, as stated on their website.
Organic Fibers
A textile product carrying the GOTS label must contain a minimum of 70% certified organic fibres, a product with the label grade 'organic' must contain a minimum of 95% certified organic fibres.
Organic fibres are natural fibres grown without the use of synthetic pesticides (such as insecticides), or herbicides and GMOs (Genetic Modified Organisms) according to the principles of organic agriculture. Organic agriculture is a production process that sustains the health of ecosystems, soils and people. (GOTS)
Ecological & Social Responsibility
To build a truly sustainable textile industry, GOTS evaluates the processing and manufacturing of textiles on the basis of both, environmental and social criteria. This means assessing everything from the chemical inputs being used to the ethical treatment of workers. To become GOTS certified, it is mandatory to meet all of the criteria. (GOTS)
ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA
Separation from conventional fibre products and identification of organic fibre products
Use of GOTS approved colourants and auxiliaries in wet-processing only
Processing units must demonstrate environment management, including wastewater treatment
Technical quality parameters for colour fastness and shrinkage for finished goods required
Restrictions on accessories
Restrictions on additional fibre materials
Environmentally hazardous substances prohibited in chemical inputs
Evaluation of toxicity and biodegradability for chemical inputs
SOCIAL CRITERIA
The Standard sets requirements concerning working and social conditions that are equivalent to those of leading social sustainability standards. GOTS social criteria, based on the key norms of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), must be met by all processors, manufacturers and traders. They must have a social compliance management system, with defined elements in place to ensure that the social criteria are met.
Employment is freely chosen
Freedom of association and collective bargaining
Child labour shall not be used
No discrimination is practiced
Occupational health and safety (OHS)
No harassment and violence
Remuneration and assessment of living wage gap
Working time (Mandated rest periods & no forced overtime)
No precarious employment is provided
Migrant workers (Maintaining accurate employment information & conditions, providing appropriate medical & travel services for workers & their families)
All Processing Stages
The GOTS certification system starts with the first processing step in the textile supply chain. The processing of textiles is based on the conversion of fibre into yarn and yarn into fabric. For example, for cotton, ginning is the first processing stage, at which seeds are removed from cotton bolls. Organic fibre cultivation, the initial production, is covered by any international or national organic farming standard that is approved in the IFOAM Family of Standards.
All steps in the processing, manufacturing and trading of organic textiles are covered by GOTS. All must be certified to strict ecological and social criteria in order for the product to carry the GOTS label. In this way, the GOTS puts an end to greenwashing. (GOTS)
Third-Party Certification
On-site inspection and certification of processors, manufacturers and traders is performed by independent Third-Party GOTS accredited Certification Bodies and forms the basis of the GOTS monitoring system. It serves to provide a credible assurance for the integrity of GOTS certified textiles.
GOTS has developed its own accreditation system for this approval process as well as for continuous monitoring of the approved Certification Bodies. (GOTS)
To learn more about the GOTS Standard, check their Public Certification Database, or read the full Manual for the Implementation of GOTS, visit them online at www.global-standard.org/