'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.
")) New Figures show continued significant growth** **5760 certified facilities, increase of 14.6%, with more than 2 million [workers](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/worker "Any individual engaged in work who is not a senior manager or owner.
") reported in 2018** **For immediate release** **Stuttgart, 7th March 2019** In 2018, the number of certified facilities showed an increase of 14,6% from 5,024 to 5,760 facilities. Certified facilities are now located in 64 countries around the globe, 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. The progress is seen in both production and consuming regions. Countries and regions with the largest growth in percentage in 2018 in GOTS certification are: Bangladesh (+29%), North America (+25%), Pakistan (+23%) and South Korea (+23%). In terms of total numbers, the highest increase is reported from India (+315), followed by Bangladesh (+155) and Europe (+98). The top ten countries in terms of total number of certified facilities are: India (1973), Bangladesh (689), Turkey (519), Germany (500), Italy (340), China (301), Pakistan (238), Portugal (215), USA (127), and South Korea (85). The 18 GOTS accredited independent Certification Bodies reported more than 2.02 million people working in GOTS certified facilities. "The increasing number of certified facilities aligns with the common desire to solve [sustainability](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/sustainability "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.”
") related problems. It confirms that GOTS is seen as part of the solution. Company leaders use GOTS as risk management tool and as market opportunity. Consumers value the verifiable certification from field to finished product." said GOTS Managing Director Claudia Kersten at the GOTS Annual Meeting in Izmir, Turkey. The number of chemicals in the [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.
") shows an increase of 13% to 20.231 from 778 suppliers. 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 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 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](http://www.global-standard.org/?acm=_173). Juliane Ziegler Communication Executive [ ](mailto:ziegler@global-standard.org) [**GOTS Global Organic Textile Standard**](mailto:ziegler@global-standard.org) [ ](https://gots.vorschau.website/) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [ Share this page ](#fs-toggle=share)