Organization

International Working Group
on Global Organic Textile Standard (IWG)

The International Working Group is constituted of four reputable organisations with expertise in organic (fibre) farming as well as environmentally and socially responsible textile processing and manufacturing. All of these four organisations, of which three are industry associations and one is a membership charity (Soil Association) introduced their own textile standard previous to the development of the GOTS from which they brought in their knowledge and experiences to the joint project GOTS.

The members of the International Working Group that have developed GOTS and the related quality assurance system are:

	International Association Natural Textile Industry (IVN), Germany	www.naturtextil.com
	Soil Association (SA), England	www.soilassociation.org
	Organic Trade Association (OTA), USA	www.ota.com
	Japan Organic Cotton Association (JOCA), Japan	www.joca.gr.jp

In August 2008 a new legal entity under German law, the Global Standard GmbH, was set up by the IWG. This entity is owned by the members of the IWG at equal share. Charged with executing the Global Organic Textile Standard Program the Global Standard GmbH conducts all activities in connection with the implementation of the GOTS and its related quality assurance as well as the related licensing system. It is further proprietor of the GOTS label, which is trademarked in almost all relevant sales markets of organic textile goods already.
The International Working Group itself is the decisive committee for all relevant organisational, structural and political issues related to the Global Organic Textile Standard Program. Its committee members are one board representative of each organization, coordinated by Herbert Ladwig, the Director of the Global Standard GmbH.

GOTS Regional Representatives

The International Working Group has appointed several Representatives that operate in a global network to promote GOTS in their regions and around the world. To date Regional Representatives are appointed in the major sales markets USA, Germany/Austria/Switzerland, Denmark/Scandinavia, Japan, Australia/New Zealand.

Technical Committee

The IWG has installed a Technical Committee which consists of one textile expert appointed by each member organisation of the IWG. This expert is backed up by the respective standard committee of the appointing organization thus ensuring a broad basis for the Technical Committee’s decisions. The Committee is coordinated by the Technical Director, Marcus Bruegel.

The Technical Committee has the following main functions / authorities:

• Generating revisions of the standard and the related manual for implementation
• Developing the Licensing and Labelling Guide and supervision of labelling applications
• Developing the accreditation system and related qualification and quality assurance requirements for certification bodies
• Supervision of accredited certification bodies to ascertain their adherence to and consistent interpretation of the GOTS and the related stipulations

Certifiers Council

The GOTS approved certifiers are assigned with the implementation of the GOTS quality assurance system. In this function they work with the operations applying for GOTS certifications and use the standard, procedures and tools of the GOTS Program on a daily basis. Drawing back on the broad expertise gathered during this work is vital for the IWG in order to establish and further develop a functioning and practical system in the market. Based on these considerations the IWG has formed a Certifiers Council in which each certifier participates with a responsible expert. The Certifiers Council has an advisory function with regard to all issues related to the GOTS quality assurance system. The collaboration of all approved GOTS certifiers in this unique forum is an important prerequisite for a consistent interpretation on the criteria and requirements of the GOTS. Coordinated by the GOTS Technical Director the Certifiers Council reports its proposals to the Technical Committee.