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.
")‘ marketing power, the GOTS International Working Group (IWG) has appointed Ms Claudia Kersten Marketing Director as of 1 July 2012. Claudia studied business administration at Koblenz/Germany based Public and Business Administration Academy, and [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.”
") Management (MBA) at Leuphana University in Lüneburg, Germany. In her Master Thesis, she examines the relationship between sustainability [standards](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/standard "standard glossary text
") and sustainable competitive strategies and demonstrates how [standards](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/standard "standard glossary text
") contribute to a successful business. Claudia has been involved in the field of sustainable textiles, focusing on [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.