Originally conceived at the 2002 Intercot conference and finally published in 2005, Global Organic Textile Standard, ‘GOTS’ were developed by a group of international bodies with a broad range of expertise in sustainable textiles. In addition to the Soil Association, other contributors to the development of GOTS included the Organic Trade Association (OTA) and the Institute of Market Ecology (IMO).

The new standards, rewritten in Plain English, also include more detailed criteria on product quality testing, residue testing and social justice.

It is hoped that the Soil Association’s adoption of GOTS will resolve many of the frustrations experienced in achieving textile certification. This is particularly important where we are not responsible for product certification through the whole supply chain.

To date, two major international certifier s, IMO and Control Union have also agreed to adopt GOTS. It is anticipated that more certifiers will follow, helping GOTS to establish themselves as the ‘benchmark’ international standard for organic textile products.

Source: Certification News

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