THE
INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP
1. Introduction
The International Working Group on Global Organic Textile Standard was formed as an initiative of leading standard organizations in 2002 with the goal to unify the various existing standards and draft standards which caused confusion with market participants and consumers and were an obstacle to free international trade with organic textiles.
In the meantime the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) has already convinced in practical feasibility and turned out to be the leading set of criteria in the field of organic textile processing. With the publication of the revised Version 2.0 and the introduction of the logo and labelling system the GOTS is now about to visually enter not only the shelves of natural textile shops but also of the largest retailers and brand dealers; a milestone in consumer's recognition but also a high accountability for a reliable quality assurance concept.
2. History
Starting point of the Global Organic Textile Standard development was the Intercot Conference 2002 in Düsseldorf (Germany), where a workshop was launched with representatives of organic cotton producers, the textile industry, consumers as well as standard organisations and certifiers who discussed the need for a harmonised and world-wide recognised organic textile standard. At that time numerous different standards and draft standards existed in the niche market of organic textiles. The different standards caused confusion with (the few) producers, retailers and consumers who were interested in this field and they were an obstacle to international exchange and recognition of organic textiles.
As a concrete result of the workshop the International Working Group on Global Organic Textile Standard was founded with the aim to continuously work on harmonisation of the various regional approaches and to develop a set of Global Standards.
Since 2002 quite a number of organisations and experts have periodically participated in this work. A big portion of the ability to compromise was needed to find even consensus for points that were considered to be 'non-negotiable' and not all standard organisations that participated the process ended up with signing the agreement of the Working Group.
The main steps in this development can be summarised as following:
| August 2002, Intercot, Düsseldorf | Presentation of a synopsis of leading organic textile standards at the workshop 'Global Standards', formation of the International Working Group (IWG) on Global Organic Textile Standard. |
| July 2004, InNaTex, Wallau | Four standard organisations sign the ‚Agreement‘, which defines the common approach as well as the decisive and implementation procedures |
| May 2005, Intercot, Chicago | The four parties agree on the 1st Version of the Global Organic Textile Standard and its implementation scheme |
| September 30th, 2006 | The four parties finally adopt the GOTS |
| February 2008, Biofach, | The IWG agrees on a logo and a licensing system |
| May 2008 | The version 2.0 of the GOTS is published |
3. Organization of the IWG
The GOTS is vested in the parties jointly. Standard organizations dealing in organic textile standards that accept the common agreement with all related aspects and adoption of the GOTS may become new members.
During its latest meeting the IWG agreed that a new legal entity (“Global Standard GmbH”) is set up which will be proprietor of the GOTS label. Trademark registration of the label is presently under way. This entity will be owned by the members of the IWG at equal share and will conduct all activities in connection with the implementation and control of the GOTS system, including the licensing system.
As a backbone of the system the IWG provides worldwide compatibility and recognition of products certified and labelled according to the GOTS between the parties and accredited certifiers.
However in addition, the parties may offer for licence one separate additional standard, as long as this additional standard contains stricter requirements than the GOTS. With regard to such additional standard they will indicate that products produced accordingly meet all requirements of the GOTS. This system was chosen to leave the participating organisations and their licensees sufficient space to retain their own identity and (regional or other) profile. It is comparable to the food sector where renown associations s.a. Demeter, Naturland, Bioland follow the organic regulation EEC 2092/91 but formulate additional criteria taking into account the specific demands of the members and their clients, the end users.
The IWG has installed a Technical Committee which is coordinated by the newly appointed Technical Director and further consists of one textile expert appoined by each member of the IWG which is backed up by the respective standard committee of the appointing organization thus ensuring a broad basis for the Technical Committee’s decisions.
According to its terms of reference the Technical Committee has the following main functions / authorities:
Ø Generating revisions of the standard
Ø Supervision of accredited certifiers to ascertain certifier's adherence and consistent interpretation of the GOTS
Ø Supervision of certified companies and products regarding compliance with the GOTS
4. Status of Implementation
After almost 6 years of combined efforts it can be stated that the GOTS has become the leading organic textile processing standard. Beside the members of the four IWG parties an enormous demand is especially created by leading retailers and brands in garments that are produced and certified according to the GOTS. The first large-scale enterprise that committed towards the GOTS was the US based and word-wide largest retailer Wal-Mart followed by various competitors and brands. The following facts demonstrate the (implementation) status of the GOTS in the market:
Almost 2 ½ years after introduction of the 1st Version the revised Version 2.0 has now been published. The high ecological and social requirements on the one hand and the word-wide practicability and verifiability including the mechanisms in the mass market on the other hand have been considered in the revision work for the current version in order to release a reliable and transparent set of criteria.
Taking into account the demand from the retail market to show their compliance with GOTS by an associated logo on the certified garments, the IWG has developed such a label and decided on its usage and on the main features of the corresponding licensing system on its meeting at Biofach last February. During the present IFOAM textile conference the label is now for the first time presented to the public.
The use of this logo (in combination with the respective label grade: 'organic' or 'made with x% organic materials') for goods produced and certified according to GOTS and sold to the end user (GOTS goods) will be compulsory. A corresponding license fee for GOTS goods was agreed.
Beside the technical requirements a certifier has to meet to become approved by the IWG for GOTS certification, it is also a prerequisite that he discontinues to certify according to an own standard. This measure was chosen to support the goal of a harmonised Global Standard and led to the consequence that the certifiers Control Union (formerly Skal International) and ICEA dropped their own established standards and introduced to their clients the GOTS certification scheme.
Due to the fact that mass market retailers and nameable brands as well as their wet processing enterprises demand dyestuffs and chemicals that meet the related criteria of GOTS, the chemical supply industry cooperate closely with approved certifiers to create positive lists indicating the accepted products. Especially the renown suppliers that have all required data for assessment of their chemicals available appreciate the increasing awareness for environmental assessment of chemical inputs, as this generates a new selling advantage compared to cheap local Asian or African chemical suppliers who so far do not have appropriate data on environmental impact (e.g. toxicity, biodegradability) at hand. For more than 25 chemical suppliers thousands of dyestuffs and chemicals have already been assessed especially by the certifiers IMO and Control Union and the accepted ones are listed on individual positive lists. Leading suppliers such as Huntsman (formerly Ciba), DyStar, BASF or CHT already actively advertise compliance of a range of their products with the GOTS and circulate their corresponding approved positive lists to agents and clients worldwide.
More than 800 companies (with almost 1000 separate production facilities inspected) are already participating in the inspection and certification system of GOTS. The participating entities include processing, manufacturing as well as im- and export companies of fabrics and garments from small-scale units up to the largest vertical integrated enterprises mainly producing for the North American, European and Japanese sales markets.
5. Content of the GOTS
The overall aim in developing these standards is formulated as following:
"The aim of these standards is to define world-wide recognised requirements that ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labelling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer".
Processors and manufacturers shall be enabled to export their organic fabrics and garments with one certification accepted in all mayor selling markets.
For a clear and unambiguous understanding of the content, it was consensus in the working group that the Global Standard itself focuses on compulsory criteria only. The standard is valid for fibre products, yarns, fabrics and clothes and covers the production, processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling, exportation, importation and distribution of all natural fibre products. The standard does not set criteria for leather products.
The key criteria for fibre production can be figured out as following:
ü The two label system requires 95% respective 70% fibres certified organic (excluding accessories)
ü Organic certification on basis of recognized international or national standards (s.a. EEC 2092/91, USDA NOP, JAS)
ü Certification of fibres from conversion period is possible with restrictions
ü Certifier needs to be internationally recognized according to ISO 65 and/or IFOAM accredited
The following key criteria for processing and manufacturing are valid:
ü At all stages through the processing organic fibre products have to be separated from conventional fibre products and need to be clearly identified
ü All chemical inputs (s.a. dyes, auxiliaries and process chemicals) are to be assessed and must meet basic requirements on toxicity and biodegradability
ü Exclusion of critical inputs s.a. toxic heavy metals, formaldehyde and GMO substances
ü Restrictions for accessories (e.g. no PVC, nickel or chrome permitted, no plastic appliqué or inlays)
ü The waste water of all wet processing units must be treated in a functional waste water treatment plant
ü Meeting social minimum criteria (based on ILO key norms) is compulsory for all processors
GOTS counts on a dual system consisting of on-site auditing and residue testing.
Certification of the entire processing chain
ü Operators from post harvest handling up to garment making (incl. ex- and importers) have to undergo an onsite annual inspection cycle
ü Certifiers need to be accredited ISO 65 including textile certification in the accredited scope and have to be authorized by the IWG
ü Orientation values for residues are defined in the standard
ü Licensed operators need to undergo residue testing according to a risk assessment of contamination
ü Sample taking by auditors and analysis in ISO accredited labs
Generally a company which is participating in the GOTS certification scheme needs to work in compliance with all criteria of the standard. The assigned certifier makes use of appropriate inspection methods which may include but are not limited to the following key elements:
ü Quantitative calculation of the organic product flow
ü Assessment of the separation and identification system
ü Check on all chemical inputs to be used for recipes in organic textile pre-treatment, dyeing and finishing on basis of material safety data sheets and related information
ü Inspection of the waste water treatment plants of all wet processing units and assessment of its performance
ü Check on social minimum criteria (possible sources of information: interview with management, confidential interviews with workers, personnel documents, physical on-site inspection, unions/stakeholders)
Textiles produced and certified according to GOTS are to be labelled with the GOTS label combinded with an indication of the responsible Approved Certification Body and the label-grade.
The standard provides for a subdivision into two label-grades:
Label-grade 1: ‚organic‘ or ‚organic - in conversion‘
≥ 95% certified organic fibres, ≤ 5 % non organic natural or synthetic fibres
Label-grade 2: ‚made with X% organic‘ or ‚made with X% organic in conversion‘
≥ 70% certified organic fibres, ≤ 30 % non organic fibres, but a maximum of 10% synthetic fibres (respective 25% for socks, leggings and sportswear)
The only differentiation for subdivision is the minimum percentage of 'organic' / 'organic ‑ in conversion' material in the final product. Analogue to leading organic regulations in the food market (such as NOP or EEC Regulation 2092/91) at least 95% respective 70% of the fibres must be of 'organic' or 'in conversion' status. The remaining balance (up to 5% respective 30%) may be made of non-organic fibres including defined regenerated and synthetic fibres (25% at the up-most for socks, leggings and sportswear and 10% for all other products). Blending conventional fibres of the same raw material that is used in organic quality in the same product is not permitted.
6. Conclusions
The global mechanism in the textile industry needed a common approach of leading standard setters in the niche market of organic textiles to create a considerable awareness in the retail market and to the end consumer. With IVN, Soil Association, OTA and Japan Organic Cotton Association four nameable organisations have taken the responsibility and committed to implement these standards in their schemes. Supported by the remarkable growth in consumption of organic fibre (especially cotton) worldwide the Global Organic Textile Standard is in an excellent position to become the basic tool for an international common understanding of environmental friendly production systems and social accountability in the organic textile sector. The International Working Group will further do its best to establish the GOTS approach as a transparent and reliable system, consumers can count on.