The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is the worldwide leading textile processing standard for organic fibres, including ecological and social criteria, backed up by independent certification of the entire textile supply chain.
The aim of the standard is to define world-wide recognized requirements that ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labelling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer.
Textile processors and manufacturers are enabled to export their organic fabrics and garments with one certification accepted in all major markets.
The only way to be sure that textile products have been both produced organically and made in factories adhering to strict environmental and social standards is to look for the Soil Association and/or the GOTS logo. These demonstrate that the fibre was produced organically, processed to strict environmental standards under good working conditions in the factories, and has been certified by an independent, third party along the whole supply chain.
Standards
Soil Association standards set strict benchmarks for organic food production, packaging, animal welfare, wildlife conservation, residues and additives to reassure the buying public over the quality of products labelled organic. Its standards often go beyond the ‘baseline’ legal requirements for organic farming in the EU, particularly for animal welfare and use of pesticides and fertilizers. Compassion in World Farming considers that Soil Association standards offer the best guarantee of high animal-welfare standards in the UK.[citation needed] Standards are regularly reviewed by independent committees and go through a rigorous consultation and approval process to ensure they are kept high, but attainable. The Soil Association also works at European and international levels to help achieve consistently high organic standards across all bodies and authorities. It is one of the first organic standard-setting bodies to exclude nanomaterials from its organic production standards.
Certification
Soil Association Certification Ltd (SACL) is a not-for-profit subsidiary of the Soil Association charity, independently providing organic certification services and advisory support on all aspects of organic certification. SACL is one of nine approved organic certification bodies in the UK, known as Organic Control Bodies, approved by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. SACL inspects and awards organic certification to over 4,500 farms and businesses around the world. It inspects each licensee at least once a year and carries out random, unannounced spot inspections and inspections in response to complaints or concerns.