Skip to main content

GOTS & GRTS –
Our Global Textile Standards 

Logo Global Organic Textile Standard
Logo Global Responsible Textile Standard

One programme. Two standards. Full value chain assurance.

Global Standards provides system-level textile standards that help organisations meet and exceed regulations, reduce risk and build credible processes across the entire value chain. GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) is the leading processing standard for textiles made with certified organic fibres. GRTS (Global Responsible Textile Standard) extends the same proven programme infrastructure to products made with fibres certified to approved responsible fibre production standards beyond organic. Together, they provide one consistent certification approach for a broad range of textile products. 

Multi-factor Global Textile Standards

Unlike standards that focus on a single attribute, material or outcome, GOTS and GRTS integrate multiple governance mechanisms into one binding framework. This framework governs how products are produced, processed, traded, certified and communicated, creating integrity, accountability and oversight throughout the supply chain. 

The six governance layers of GOTS & GRTS:

  • 1. Material Origin Governance

  • Defines requirements for eligible fibre and material inputs.  

  • Establishes rules on material composition, content thresholds and blending.  

  • Ensures that certified products meet clearly defined sourcing criteria.  

  • 2. Chain of Custody Governance

  • Requires documented tracking of certified materials throughout the supply chain.  

  • Uses transaction certificates and other verification mechanisms where applicable.

  • Ensures traceability and accountability across all processing and trading stages.  

  • 3. Chemical Governance 

  • Applies positive and negative lists of permitted and prohibited substances.
  • Uses process-based restrictions rather than relying solely on end-product testing.
  • Incorporates a precautionary approach to chemical management.

  • 4. Environmental Governance

  • Establishes requirements for wastewater treatment and environmental management. 
  • Addresses energy use, emissions and resource efficiency. 
  • Relies on ongoing compliance and verification rather than one-time product testing. 

  • 5. Social Governance

  • Incorporates internationally recognised labour and human rights requirements. 
  • Covers topics such as health and safety, working conditions, working hours and non-discrimination. 
  • Applies to certified facilities throughout the supply chain. 

  • 6. Claims and Labelling Governance

  • Defines how certification claims may be communicated.
  • Controls the use of logos, labels and marketing statements. 
  • Treats misuse of claims or labelling as a sanctionable breach of the system.

GOTS & GRTS – system-level textile standards

In summary, GOTS and GRTS are system-level standards because they combine material, traceability, chemical, environmental, human rights, including social, business conduct and labelling requirements into a single, auditable framework. This integrated governance structure enables oversight and assurance across the entire value chain rather than addressing only a single product characteristic or sustainability issue. 

Business value for textile companies

Global Standards helps you turn sustainability into measurable results: 

  • Operational efficiency
  • Market access
  • Compliance
  • Risk reduction
  • Credibility

System-level standards

Unlike material-specific or single-stage approaches, Global Standards governs the entire textile production system. GOTS and GRTS are independent standards, both built on the same underlying system that ensures consistency, credibility and integrity across the full value chain. 

This shared system ensures that every step, every actor and every transaction in the supply chain follows the same third-party verified requirements, creating a trusted system that delivers transparency and accountability throughout global production.  

It is built on: 

  • Clearly defined and enforceable criteria 
  • Integrated due diligence frameworks 
  • Independent on-site audits by accredited 3rd party Certification Bodies 
  • End-to-end traceability and transaction verification 
  • Strict labelling 

In practice, this means: 

  • Full value chain coverage – from fibre to finished product (fibre → processing → manufacturing → trading → finished product) 
  • Independent certification – ensuring impartial verification 
  • Built-in traceability – no gaps, no blind spots 
  • Global recognition – one trusted programme accepted worldwide 

The result: Integrity you can rely on, from raw material to final product. 

Global Organic Textile Standard

The global benchmark for the processing of organic textiles.  

Bringing credibility, traceability and compliance to textiles made with certified organic materials, GOTS enables companies to apply a consistent system across their organic product lines, ensuring integrity from fibre to finished product.  

The standard covers every step of the processing value chain until the final product, requiring strict environmental and social criteria supported by a robust certification system with independent third-party verification.  

Designed to meet and exceed global regulatory requirements, GOTS provides a globally recognised system that builds trust, reduces risk and enables credible sustainability claims.

What are the benefits of GOTS certification?

  • Full value chain control: certified from organic fibre to finished product 
  • Verified traceability at every step:  complete transparency with no blind spots 
  • Integrated due diligence:  built-in systems to meet and exceed global regulatory requirements and customer expectations 
  • Strict environmental and social criteria: requiring responsible production and safe working conditions 
  • Independent third-party certification:  delivering credibility you can prove 
  • Globally recognised and trusted: one certification accepted across all major markets 

Scale and Impact:

  • 17,800+ certified facilities 
  • 95 countries 
  • 5.3+ million workers covered 
GOTS

Global Responsible Textile Standard

The responsible textile standard beyond organic. 

GRTS applies to textiles made from fibres certified to recognised responsible fibre production standards. All processing stages, from fibre to the finished product must meet strict environmental, human rights including social criteria along the entire value chain.  

Eligible fibre categories of GRTS include:  

  • natural plant and animal fibres 
  • regenerated cellulosic fibres 
  • recycled natural and synthetic fibres 
  • biopolymers and  
  • certified organic or organic in-conversion fibres below GOTS thresholds. 

GRTS extends the proven GOTS programme to fibres certified to these responsible fibre categories, bringing the same level of credibility, traceability and compliance to textile production across a wider range of certified sourcing systems.  

GRTS & GOTS – one consistent system 

This means companies can apply one consistent system across their entire product portfolio, not just the organic share. It enables the processing and manufacturing of products made with approved responsible fibres under strict environmental and social criteria, using the same robust and globally recognised certification system as GOTS.  

Designed for easy adoption alongside GOTS, it allows companies to scale responsible sourcing and product diversity without lowering certification integrity.

What are the benefits of GRTS certification?

  • Full value chain control: certified from responsible fibre to finished product 
  • Verified traceability at every step: complete transparency with no blind spots 
  • Integrated due diligence: built-in systems to meet and exceed global regulatory requirements 
  • Strict environmental and social criteria: ensuring responsible production and safe working conditions 
  • Independent third-party certification:  delivering credibility you can prove 
  • Globally recognised and trusted: one certification accepted across all major markets 

Scale and impact: 

  • Built on a system with 20+ years of global implementation experience  
  • Leveraging a worldwide network of 26 approved Certification Bodies
GOTS

FAQ about Global Standards

xxxxx
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum.
How to avoid duplicate steps?
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum.
Enabling the DevStack Support user for your app
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum.
How to automatically trigger builds on DevStack?
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum.