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.
") is not a farm [standard](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/standard "standard glossary text
") and therefore does not certify cotton**. Instead, GOTS is the stringent voluntary global [standard](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/standard "standard glossary text
") for the **entire post-harvest processing of apparel and home textiles** made with certified [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.
A registered or unregistered trademark or other sign other than the GOTS Signs.
The term, in context, can also refer to an organisation that controls the design, development, and purchase of final products for sale under their own name. In that context, brands may sell to wholesalers, retailers, or directly to consumers. This does not include organisations who sell a branded intermediate product for use in further processing steps.
An individual establishment or site where processing, manufacturing, trading or retailing of GOTS Goods is done. It is operated by a Certified Entity and inspected by an Approved Certifier.
"). Each of the approximately 12,000 certified facilities worldwide, regardless of size, pays the same amount of 150€ per year.** 2. **Consumers can be confident that the cotton in a GOTS-certified product is organic. GOTS only allows fibres to enter the supply chain that are certified according to the standards of the IFOAM family** and that have gone through mandatory checks. 3. To prevent possible fraud on farm level, GOTS goes a step further and **requires that seed cotton entering the GOTS supply chain is tested for the presence 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)
") according to the applicable ISO protocol.** Additionally, GOTS-approved Certification Bodies include further testing (such as pesticide residue) according to their risk assessment and are fully authorised to re-ject material that does not meet GOTS requirements. 4. Before certification bodies issue a [Transaction Certificate](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/transaction-certificate "A document issued by a GOTS-approved Certification Body for GOTS-certified products, verifying their compliance with the Standard. It provides traceability by listing product details, shipment information and confirming integrity through volume reconciliation process.
") (TC), GOTS requires that a thorough assessment takes place. Among other things, it is mandatory to perform a **plausibility check in the form of [volume reconciliation](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/volume-reconciliation "Calculation process by which it is ascertained that output volumes of a product’s certified materials are compatible with their corresponding input volumes. Input volume and output volume of the certified material used for a product are compatible if their ratio falls within a given percentage range, which reflects estimated production losses specific to the production process of the particular product, and if the input volume can be demonstrated to have been available on stock.
")**. To strengthen integrity and [traceability](https://gots.vorschau.website/resources/glossary/traceability "The ability to trace the origin of an object back to its source.
In a GOTS context, the ability to trace a GOTS Good as it moves through its supply chain.
An Approved Certification Body or Approved Certifier is a certification body that has been duly accredited by an Accreditation Body. By signing a con tract with Global Standard gGmbH, they are permitted to implement the Global Organic Textile Standard within a designated geographical area and for specific scopes of the Standard. An updated list of Approved Certifiers and their scopes is available on the GOTS Website.
"). We have repeatedly banned dubious companies from the GOTS system and published this information** (see the publicly available list of banned companies [here](https://gots.vorschau.website/the-standard/protection/certification-bans)). We are eager to see such evidence, as GOTS consistently acts against such proof and imposes strict sanctions such as certification bans. 7. To further strengthen the GOTS system, **GOTS is currently developing a central database that will track the origin of not only organic cotton but also other organic materials. It will cover the entire GOTS chain of custody, from the first processing steps to the final products.** To remain independent of economic interests, we have applied for public funding for the development of the database. **Although this slows the development, our independence is worth it.** [ Share this page ](#fs-toggle=share)