GOTS Certification Roadmap for Duvet Covers and Towels

Scope of the GOTS Standard in Organic Home Textiles

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is a globally recognized standard [1], [5]. GOTS covers the entire supply chain continuously, starting from the ginning of certified organic cotton as the first processing step through spinning, weaving, wet processing, confection and trade [1], [5]. The primary objective of the standard is to ensure organic status and traceability from harvest in the field to the final label reaching the consumer [1].
GOTS audits environmental, social and chemical criteria together [1]. The presence of even a single uncertified link in the supply chain prevents the marketing of the final product with the GOTS label [3].

Chain of Custody, Physical Separation and Chemical Criteria

In production facilities, strict physical separation between organic fibers and conventional fibers is mandatory [2]. Mixing organic and conventional versions of the same fiber type is prohibited [2]. All raw material and semi-finished lots must be clearly labeled and tracked within the facility [2]. A special rule applies to duvet cover and towel manufacturers working with subcontractors: Subcontracting facilities must be registered on the main manufacturer's Scope Certificate (SC) as subcontractors and fully implement GOTS criteria; in contrast, suppliers of purchased yarn and fabric must directly hold their own independent GOTS certificate [3], [5].
All chemical substances used in dyeing and finishing must be included on the GOTS approved input list [1]. Formaldehyde and GMO inputs are prohibited; dyestuffs containing heavy metals are also prohibited, although exceptions exist for iron and (up to 5% in blue, green and turquoise shades) copper [2]. In addition, wastewater treatment performance of facilities is regularly audited [5]. Under social criteria, based on ILO principles, prohibitions on child labor and forced labor, occupational health and safety, fair wages and humane working hours are verified through on-site interviews [1], [5].

Labelling Levels, TC Process and Costs

The GOTS system offers two different labelling levels according to the organic fiber ratio [4]. For the top tier 'Organic' label, at least 95% of the fiber composition in the final product must consist of certified organic fibers; the remaining share of at most 5% may consist of technical fibers such as elastane (for example, products containing 95% organic cotton + 5% elastane can obtain this label) [4]. For the second tier 'Made with organic' label, a minimum of 70% organic fiber content is required; within the remaining 30% portion, synthetic fiber content is limited to a maximum of 10% [4].
A Transaction Certificate (TC) is requested from the authorized certification body for each commercial shipment and transmitted to the buyer following verification [3]. The facility's Scope Certificate is renewed through annual on-site audits [5]. Annual GOTS certification costs for a manufacturer with a single facility roughly range between 1200 and 3000 Euro, to which an annual GOTS system participation fee of 180 Euro per facility is added [3]. A definitive quote must be obtained from the authorized certification body [3].