'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
") ([GOTS](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/gots "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.
")) **Tops 5000 Facilities in 2017**** **Number of GOTS certified facilities increase 8,2% to 5,024 in 2017 +++ More than 1.74 million [workers](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/worker "Any individual engaged in work who is not a senior manager or owner.
") reported +++** **Claudia Kersten GOTS Director [](mailto:kersten@global-standard.org)** ****Stuttgart, 8th. March 2018 For Immediate Release[ ](mailto:kersten@global-standard.org)** The number of facilities certified to GOTS shows an increase of 8,2%, from 4,642 facilities in 2016 to 5,024 facilities in 2017. GOTS certified facilities are located in 62 countries around the world with continuous growth in both production as well as consuming regions. GOTS certification covers the processing of certified [organic fibres](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/organic-fibres "Lorem Ipsum dolor sit amet
") along the entire supply chain from field to finished product. Countries or regions with the largest increase in GOTS certification in 2017 are (in rank order): Bangladesh (+40%), North America (+39%), Portugal (+39%), Europe (+29%). The top ten countries in terms of total number of certified facilities are: India (1658), Bangladesh (534), Germany (480), Turkey (445), Italy (307), China (292), Pakistan (194), Portugal (180), USA (99) and South Korea (69). "The growing number of GOTS certifications shows that GOTS is taken as a solution for managing risks, reputation and market differentiation. We are very pleased with the development in North America. It will have the same pull effect as also seen in Europe by creating increasing capacities in the producing countries” said GOTS Director Claudia Kersten at the GOTS Annual Meeting in Charleston, South Carolina. In 2017 the 19 GOTS accredited independent Certification Bodies reported more than 1,74 million people working in GOTS certified facilities. The number of chemicals on the GOTS [Positive List](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/positive-list "GOTS Positive List contains GOTS-compliant chemical products which are evaluated and approved by GOTS approved chemical auditors. The List provides trade names of the chemicals and immediate access to all chemical Inputs which are allowed to use GOTS products.
") also shows an increase of 14% to more than 17,900 from 720 [manufacturers](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/manufacturer "An entity in the manufacturing chain (sewing industry or so-called CMT (cut, make, trim) industry up to labelling and final packing) of GOTS Goods.
"). The GOTS Positive List contains tradenames of approved chemicals that must be used by all textile [processors](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/processor "An entity in the processing chain (post-harvest handling up to finishing) of GOTS Goods.
") for their GOTS certified production. ABOUT GOTS: GOTS is the stringent voluntary global [standard](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/standard "standard glossary text
") for the entire post-harvest processing (including spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing) of apparel and home textiles made with 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 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. GOTS is a non-profit organisation. For more information on the Global Organic Textile Standard, please see www.global-standard.org. ****GOTS Global Organic Textile Standard**** **[www.global-standard.org](https://gots.vorschau.website/)** **** [ Share this page ](#fs-toggle=share)