“Certified Textile Sustainability”

Why Organic Textiles ?

The production of organic cotton has increased dramatically in the last 5 years from 6,500 tonnes in 2001 to an estimated 44,500 tonnes in 2006 according to Organic Exchange. Estimated global retail sales of organic cotton goods are expected to reach $ 3.5 billion by 2008. Many leading retailers and brands including Nike, Co-op Schweiz, Otto, Patagonia, Gap Inc, Levi Strauss and Wal-Mart now include organic cotton lines among their clothing ranges.

What is GOTS ?

GOTS is an organic textile standard set by four groups promoting the interests of the organic industry:

• OTA (Organic Trade Association) in the USA
• SA (Soil Association) in the UK
• JOCA (Japanese Organic Cotton Association)
• IVN (Internationaler Verband der Naturtextilwirtschaft e.V. – International Association Natural Textile Industry) in Germany

GOTS sets specific requirements for the complete production cycle of organic textiles, including the cultivation of cotton. Texanlab is one of few institutes in Asia that has the expertise to perform analysis in compliance with GOTS.

This standard sets clear requirements and, where necessary, limits for:

• Organic fibre production
• Product labelling
• Textile auxiliaries, dyes and pigments
• Stages in the production process, e.g. spinning, weaving, knitting, pre-treatment, dyeing, printing, finishing, etc
• Accessories
• Environmental management
• Waste water treatment
• Storage, packaging and transport
• Quality assurance systems
• End products
• Residues in accessories
• Social compliance

Testing for GOTS conformance includes :

• AOX
• Formaldehyde
• Chlorinated Phenols
• Biodegradability
• Toxicity tests
• APEOs
• Heavy metal content
• Banned amines