The worldwide leading voluntary sustainability standard for the post-harvest textile value chain for certified organic fibres, covering environmental criteria, human rights, social criteria and business conduct.
") kicks off third decade with significant growth and forward momentum A new [Standard](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/standard "standard glossary text
") revision process that allows for greater collaboration, record high numbers of both Certification Bodies and Certified Facilities, and a consumer awareness campaign that reached millions were among the highlights of 2022** GOTS, the world's leading [standard](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/standard "standard glossary text
") for [organic](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/organic "'Organic' is a regulated term used to distinguish systems of managed production and products derived therefrom that adhere to principles of health, ecology, fairness and care, and which are certified compliant to an organic standard's regulations by an Approved Certification Body.
GOTS defines organic textiles as being made with fibres from organic agriculture systems that are certified to one of the IFOAM Family of Standards, and that are processed in socially and ecologically responsible ways, in alignment with organic principles.
In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
") commitments and goals regarding organic textiles” says Claudia Kersten, GOTS Managing Co-Director. As an ever-evolving benchmark of excellence in the textile processing industry, GOTS has undertaken a comprehensive revision of its standard in 2022 to further enhance its efficacy. Through an improved and more inclusive [Standard Setting Procedure](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/standard-setting-procedure "The Standard Setting Procedure is a procedure by which the Standard Body establishes, reviews, and updates the criteria for the production, processing and labelling of certified textiles.
") (SSP), professionals from diverse stakeholder groups collaborated closely with the Standard Development Unit of GOTS to refine the criteria. Two public consultation periods yielding over 650 distinct public comments helped shape the new Standard, Version 7.0, which was released in March 2023 ([read GOTS Version 7.0](https://gots.vorschau.website/images/news/archiv/resource-library/documents/standard-and-manual/GOTS_7.0__SIGNED_.pdf)). "Our steadfast commitment to addressing the textile industry's pressing sustainability challenges is exemplified by the evolution of the GOTS Standard," remarked Rahul Bhajekar, GOTS Managing Co-Director. The recent suspension of Control Union India by their [Accreditation Body](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/accreditation-body "An authoritative body or organisation which evaluates and confirms that a conformity assessment body, e.g., a Certification Body, is deemed capable of carrying out certain assessment tasks, e.g., certification, inspection, or testing, regarding a particular formally defined standard. This attestation relies primarily on a formal demonstration of its task-specific competence by the conformity assessment body, evaluated via professional and objective audits by the Accreditation Body, typically by way of ISO/IEC 17065 : 'Conformity assessment — Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services'.
"), IOAS, serves as evidence of the efficacy of the existing GOTS system. To further strengthen the system’s integrity, GOTS implemented a set of Quality Assurance measures in 2022. Among the key measures are significantly expanded Quality Assurance and IT staff, substantially raised requirements for certified gins, and deepened collaboration with other standard-setters and partner organisations. One outcome of this collaboration is the recent Organic Cotton & Textiles Conference, which was held in Indore, India from February 27th – March 1st, 2023. GOTS partnered with IFOAM – International Organics and the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) to host the event, which convened a diverse range of stakeholders from across the textile supply chain to promote the advancement of the organic textile sector, address its challenges, and devise solutions regarding regulatory, technology and data issues, as well as on the ground. As part of the organisation’s efforts to strengthen and expand the global organic textile sector, GOTS recently hosted its inaugural GOTS conference in Africa. The conference, themed “Toward an African Value Chain,” was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in November 2022, and brought together 112 attendees from 21 countries, including producers, [processors](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/processor "An entity in the processing chain (post-harvest handling up to finishing) of GOTS Goods.
"), [brands](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/brand "A registered or unregistered trademark or other sign other than the GOTS Signs.
The term, in context, can also refer to an organisation that controls the design, development, and purchase of final products for sale under their own name. In that context, brands may sell to wholesalers, retailers, or directly to consumers. This does not include organisations who sell a branded intermediate product for use in further processing steps.
The practice of making an unsubstantiated or misleading claim about the environmental benefits of a product, service, technology or company practice.
(Source: International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), 2016)