How to avoid greenwashing | Look for the GOTS logo
You’ll notice that on a lot of products on the Greenfibres website, we talk about them being GOTS certified, but what is GOTS and why is it important?
GOTS stands for the Global Organic Textile Standard, and it’s a rigorous set of criteria that covers the making of organic textile products - including clothing, bed linen, fabrics, mattresses and more.
Why is GOTS needed?
Did you know that when it comes to textiles, the word ‘organic’ is barely regulated? This means that a t-shirt can contain just 1% organic cotton, and still be called organic. Looking for the GOTS logo on a pair of knickers, duvet or pillow case is your assurance that the item you’re buying is authentically organic. It means that the whole supply chain of that product has been checked out by an independent certification body, from the growing of the cotton or the farming of the sheep, through to converting the fibres into fabric and into the finished garment. GOTS covers both environmental aspects as well as social and ethical aspects of organic textile production. GOTS protects the people that make our organic clothing and bedding, and our planet too.
The standard is over 90 pages long, so here's our top 5 things you need to know about the Global Organic Textile Standard
1. GOTS requires a minimum of 70% organic fibres in anything that carries the GOTS label.
2. When an items carries a GOTS logo, the company must also have shown that there is no child labour in their supply chain
3. A GOTS label in your clothes also tells you that clothing workers are being paid a fair wage, and treated ethically. This includes the right to form unions, work in a safe environment and no forced labour
4. Local waterways and drinking water is protected, as GOTS suppliers must have a full environmental management system in place, including waste water management
5. Any processing agents used to turn the raw fibres (cotton, wool, hemp and more)have met strict criteria that protects the workers, the environment, and you, the end user. This means flame retardants, PFAs and toxic dyes are all banned.
In a world filled with greenwashing, looking for the GOTS logo is your way of ensuring the items are authentically organic, and produced in a socially and environmentally responsible way.
If you'd like to find out more about the Global Organic Textile Standard then you can read the whole of GOTS right here - and the GOTS behind the seams campaign has a ton of useful bitesize info that you might want to check out too.
