What is GOTS-Certified Organic Cotton?

Organic cotton is a sustainable alternative to conventional cotton. Numerous brands worldwide claim that they use organic cotton, but it's challenging for consumers to validate these claims.

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This is where certifications like Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) become valuable. Certification can offer a reliable means for consumers to ensure that the products they purchase contain organic cotton and help them avoid falling for greenwashing tactics.

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What is organic cotton?

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Cotton is one of the most commonly used fibers in textiles, but conventional cotton farming has its fair share of problems.

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Cotton farming uses significant amounts of pesticides and insecticides, contributing to water and soil pollution.

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The crop's large water consumption, exacerbated by its preference for warm, dry climates, has resulted in ecological disasters like the shrinking of the Aral Sea.

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The irrigation water used for cotton crops introduces salt and other impurities into the soil, often rendering it infertile and leading to deforestation as farmers seek new fertile lands.

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Organic cotton is a more sustainable alternative to conventional cotton. It avoids any chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. It also uses a more sustainable process of picking and processing cotton, which saves energy and water resources.

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One of the easiest ways to distinguish conventional cotton products from organic ones is to look for organic certifications. One such certification is the Global Organic Textile Standard, also known as the GOTS certificate.

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What is GOTS-certified organic cotton?

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The GOTS certification certifies products in various categories such as clothing, home textiles, mattresses, fiber products, yarns, fabrics, food-contact textiles, and personal care products. The certification has 2 levels:

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• Organic: This cotton requires a minimum of 95% organic fibers.
• Made with organic materials: This cotton requires at least 70% organic fibers.

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The GOTS certification differs from other organic certifications because it certifies the entire process and not just the final product. This includes spinning, weaving, and cutting, wet-processing, manufacturing, and trading.

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Criteria for becoming GOTS certified

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The GOTS certification uses rigorous criteria to certify brands, focusing on both environmental and social aspects (similar to the B Corp certification).

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Here are some of the key environmental and social criteria that GOTS uses to certify brands:

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Environmental

• Use of GOTS-approved colorants and auxiliaries in wet processing only.
• Processing units must demonstrate environmental management, including wastewater treatment.
• Restrictions on additional fiber materials.
• Environmentally hazardous substances are prohibited in chemical inputs.
• Evaluation of toxicity and biodegradability for chemical inputs.

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Social

• Freedom of association and collective bargaining.
• No child labor.
• No discrimination.
• No harassment and violence.
• Remuneration and assessment of living wage gap.

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Here’s the exhaustive list of criteria, if you’d like to dig deeper.

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Whenever you come across a product with the GOTS logo, you will also see the license number of the certified entity. Avoid products that showcase the GOTS logo but lack a license number.

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You can verify the authenticity of this license number by entering it into the free text column of the certified supplier database.