'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 version 5.0 released:** **Stricter criteria for regenerated fibres & category "Combined Products" added** **For Immediate Release** Stuttgart Germany (7 March 2017) **Claudia Kersten** [](mailto:kersten@global-standard.org) [](mailto:kersten@global-standard.org) Version 5.0 of the Global Organic Textile [Standard](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/standard "standard glossary text
") (GOTS) has been released. GOTS is the worldwide recognized standard for the processing of textiles made with 95 percent (label grade "organic") or at least 70 percent (label grade “made with organic”) certified [organic fibres](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/organic-fibres "Lorem Ipsum dolor sit amet
"). GOTS' core provisions such as the minimum content of certified organic fibres and the general bans on the use of toxic and harmful chemicals, [conventional](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/conventional "Agricultural practices that do not conform to a norm of organic agricultural production.
") cotton, virgin polyester, [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)
"), [substances](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/substances "Chemical elements and their compounds as they occur in the natural state or as produced by industry.
") derived from GMOs and nanotechnology have been maintained. The criteria for the "additional fibre material" are now stricter regarding the environmentally improved and certified regenerated cellulosic fibres: The use of Viscose and Modal is now restricted to 10% (25% for sportswear and socks). Lyocell may still be used up to 30% because of its more sustainable manufacturing processes. For the first time GOTS will allow “Combined Products” such as prams with textile [fabrics](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/fabric "A flexible, flat structure made by interlacing yarns, fibers, or filaments.
"), bassinets, car seats or furniture with textile fabric upholstery to have certified and labelled fabric components. Regarding the GOTS social criteria an explicit section on Ethical Business Behaviour including a corruption ban was added, based on the UN Global Compact Principles. The mandatory GOTS Social Compliance Management System for the first time includes guidance on the use of tools such as SAI Social Fingerprint™ to help companies measure and improve their social performance. “Revision of GOTS always walks a fine line between strict and verifiable criteria and the needs of the market. For example, version 5.0 includes the tightening of composition requirements with respect to regenerated cellulosic fibres. On the other hand, the new possibility of combined products with fabric components certified to GOTS helps include a range of products who could not carry the GOTS label in the past. This helps to increase our contribution to sustainable development.” says Rahul Bhajekar, GOTS Director Standards Development and Quality Assurance. GOTS 5.0 is the result of a year-long revision process with multi stakeholder [input](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/input "General term for all Substances and Preparations directly applied as textile auxiliary agents, inks, dyes or pigments.
") which is repeated every three years. All relevant Stakeholders who operate internationally with expertise in the fields of organic production, textile colourants & chemicals, social criteria & industry, NGOs and consumer interests were invited to participate. Invited organizations included Greenpeace, Clean Clothes Campaign, Fair Labour Association, FairWear Foundation, IFOAM, ILO, Transparency International, Social Accountability International (SAI) and Textile ExchThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.[www.global-standard.org/the-standard/revision-procedure.html](http://global-standard.org/index.php?option=com_acymailing&ctrl=url&subid=&urlid=468&mailid=123&Itemid=170) Version 5.0, the Manual for Implementation Version 5.0, a list of relevant changes and further information regarding GOTS can be found on [www.global-standard.org.](https://gots.vorschau.website/) 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), which formed an International Working Group to define globally recognized requirements that ensure the organic status of textiles. GOTS' operating unit, the Global-Standard gemeinnützige GmbH, is a non-profit organization. For more information about GOTS see[ www.global-standard.org](https://gots.vorschau.website/). You can download the press release [here in English and German](http://global-standard.org/index.php?option=com_acymailing&ctrl=url&subid=&urlid=469&mailid=123&Itemid=170). Mit herzlichen Grüßen/ Kind Regards Claudia Kersten **GOTS Global Organic Textile Standard** Claudia Kersten Director Marketing & Finance [www.global-standard.org](https://gots.vorschau.website/)  [ Share this page ](#fs-toggle=share)