Number of facilities certified to Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) demonstrated a substantial increase, from 3,814 facilities in 2015 to 4,642 facilities in 2016, up 21 per cent. GOTS-certified facilities are now located in 63 countries around the world. Growth is continuously, evenly spread across all market segments including the mass market and the big brands. “The increasing market acceptance is a result that GOTS delivers solutions for sustainability-based problems for both, business need for risk management and credibility and consumers need for transparency”, Claudia Kersten, GOTS director, marketing & finance said.

GOTS certification covers the processing of organic fibres along the entire supply chain from field to finished product. “The significant growth in numbers of GOTS-certified facilities shows the willingness of more and more decision makers not only to drive change by complying with the strict GOTS criteria but also to prove this change by undergoing an independent third party certification”, Herbert Ladwig, GOTS managing director said.

GOTS is the stringent voluntary global standard for the entire post-harvest processing (including spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing) of apparel and home textiles made with organic fibre (such as organic cotton and organic wool), and includes both environmental and social criteria.

Key provisions include a ban on the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), highly hazardous chemicals (such as azo dyes and formaldehyde), and child labour, while requiring strong social compliance management systems and strict waste water treatment practices.

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