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.
") certifications in 2020 reach five figures for the first time** **New high: 10,388 GOTS certified facilities in 2020, an increase of 34% with more than 3 million [workers](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/worker "Any individual engaged in work who is not a senior manager or owner.
") in 72 countries** **Press Release For immediate release** ****Stuttgart, 25th February 2021**** In 2020, the number of GOTS certified facilities grew by 34% globally, to a new high of 10,388 from 7,765 in 2019. 16 GOTS Approved Certification Bodies report that over 3 million people in over 72 countries were working in GOTS certified facilities. Significant increases are seen in all regions. Top 10 countries for certified facilities are India (2,994), Bangladesh (1,584), Turkey (1,107), China (961), Germany (684), Italy (585), Portugal (449), Pakistan (391), USA (167) and Sri Lanka (126). GOTS approved chemical [inputs](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/input "General term for all Substances and Preparations directly applied as textile auxiliary agents, inks, dyes or pigments.
") now number 25,913, an increase of 13% in 2020. This confirms that these inputs are increasingly used as a risk management tool by wet [processors](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/processor "An entity in the processing chain (post-harvest handling up to finishing) of GOTS Goods.
") to satisfy legal and commercial residue requirements. “The exceptional increase in this unprecedented year shows that decision makers value GOTS as an important tool to drive sustainable transformation in a comprehensive way - from field to fashion. Using [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.
standard glossary text
") for the entire post-harvest processing (including spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing) of apparel and home textiles made with certified organic fibre (such as organic cotton and organic wool), and includes both environmental and social criteria. Key provisions include a ban on the use of [genetically modified organisms](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/genetically-modified-organism "Organisms whose genetic material has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination. (Source: EUR-Lex, Access to European Union law: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/glossary/genetically-modified-organisms-gmo.html)
") ([GMOs](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/gmo "Organisms whose genetic material has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination. (Source: EUR-Lex, Access to European Union law: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/glossary/genetically-modified-organisms-gmo.html)
")), highly hazardous chemicals (such as azo dyes and formaldehyde), and child labour, while requiring strong social compliance management systems and strict waste water treatment practices. GOTS was developed by leading international [standard](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/standard "standard glossary text
") setters - Organic Trade Association (U.S.), Japan Organic Cotton Association, International Association Natural Textile Industry (Germany), and Soil Association (UK) to define globally-recognised requirements that ensure the organic status of textiles, from field to finished product. GOTS is a non-profit organisation which is self-financed. For more information please see [www.global-standard.org](https://www.global-standard.org) and follow @globalorganictextilestandard on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-organic-textile-standard/?viewAsMember=true), [Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/globalorganictextilestandard/)and [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/globalorganictextilestandard/). 2,982 characters The [GOTS logo](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/gots-logo "The garment icon, embedded into the circle element and surrounded by the letters 'Global Organic Textile Standard GOTS', displayed only with the allowed colours.
") is available for [download](https://www.dropbox.com/s/2zb9by9cf572dlx/GOTS_Logo_2017_transp.zip?dl=0&file_subpath=%2FGOTS_Logo_2017_transp "to GOTS logo for download"). Find the Annual Press Release with additions from the different regions for [download](https://global-standard.org/news/gots-certifications-in-2020-reach-five-figures-for-the-first-time "Annual Press Release and additions from the regions"). Juliane Ziegler Communication Executive [This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ](mailto:ziegler@global-standard.org) **GOTS Global Organic Textile Standard**  [ Share this page ](#fs-toggle=share)