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If you're thinking about buying organic clothing, you've probably heard of GOTS. You may recognize the logo or know what it stands for, but if you haven't had a chance to learn more about GOTS, we encourage you to read on. Here, we've compiled everything you need to know about GOTS as a GOTS-certified organic baby and children's clothing brand.

GOTS, short for Global Organic Textile Standard, is a standard that determines the organic status of textile products from raw material extraction to labeling. These standards were developed to give consumers assurance that textile products are produced under environmentally friendly and fair conditions. GOTS certification is one of the most recognized organic standards in the world. Certification standards are particularly important in the global textile industry to ensure that garments are manufactured using sustainable processes. Certificates and quality marks prove that textiles are produced under environmentally friendly and socially acceptable working conditions. In this context, GOTS demonstrates that the textile brand uses human-, animal-, and environmentally friendly methods in its resource use, production, and distribution.

GOTS was created by four recognized organizations: the Organic Trade Association (OTA, USA), the International Association of Natural Textile Industries (IVN, Germany), the Soil Association (UK), and the Japan Organic Cotton Association (JOCA, Japan). Two of these associations (IVN and JOCA) are textile industry organizations, while the other two (OTA and Soil Association) are organic agriculture and food industry organizations. These organizations have extensive experience in promoting organic farming and have jointly developed processing standards for organic textiles. GOTS was born out of the desire for international recognition of these standards.

Since its launch in 2006, GOTS has proven its practical applicability. The GOTS label is subject to strict guidelines and certification procedures. To be GOTS-certified, the entire processing and production chain (from post-harvest processing to sewing, packaging, and labeling) and B2B traders (traders who sell to other companies such as importers, exporters, or wholesalers) must adhere to these strict processes. Any raw material producer, processor, textile manufacturer, trader, importer, brand, and textile industry player can obtain the GOTS certificate.

GOTS was created for ecologically and socially responsible textile production and sets various requirements to ensure this. GOTS has different classifications. The "made with organic" label class means that the fabric contains at least 70% organic fibers. The "organic" quality class means that the fabric contains at least 95% organic fibers. The basic requirements that must be met at the production stage to obtain the GOTS certificate are based on the following:

• Presence of a wastewater treatment system as part of an environmental management program
• Compliance with GOTS social criteria based on the fundamental standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO)
• Implementation of a written environmental policy
• Maintain complete and comprehensive records of wastewater treatment, including wet treatment plants, chemicals, energy, water consumption, and sludge disposal
• Treatment of wastewater from all wet treatment plants in an external functional wastewater treatment plant

All chemical inputs (such as dyes, auxiliaries, and process chemicals) are evaluated in GOTS-certified products; these inputs must meet basic toxicity requirements. The use of toxic heavy metals, formaldehyde, aromatic solvents, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is prohibited. There are also restrictions on the use of accessories. Raw materials, intermediate products, finished textiles, and accessories must meet strict restrictions regarding unwanted residues. Packaging materials must not contain PVC. As part of the certification, an independent, private certification body conducts an annual on-site inspection of the processor's, manufacturer's, or retailer's facilities, monitors the organic fiber product flow, evaluates all raw materials and accessories used, and ensures compliance with social guidelines.

GOTS is a dynamic standard that encourages continuous progress in developing better textile processing methods. The GOTS organization regularly updates the standard, drawing on the advice of international stakeholders and experts. A revision process takes place every three years, in which GOTS collaborates with international stakeholders. The first version of GOTS was published in 2005, and the latest version, GOTS 6.0, was published in 2020. Although the GOTS criteria continue to evolve with each version, GOTS-certified products generally guarantee the following:

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION

One of the main goals of the certification is to ensure that all stages of the production process are sustainable, from cotton harvesting to clothing manufacturing. For this reason, all raw materials must be harvested from sustainably managed farms. Furthermore, this certification focuses on water management. A company applying for GOTS certification must have a closed water cycle and a water filtration system.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY AND NON-TOXIC MATERIALS

Products eligible for certification must be free of toxic heavy metals, formaldehyde, aromatic solvents, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). All additives must be biodegradable and GOTS-compliant. A company applying for GOTS certification must have an environmental protection policy. The GOTS seal guarantees that the garment is environmentally friendly and poses no threat to human health. All materials are subject to strict controls to ensure that no unwanted residues remain on GOTS-certified garments.

FAIR WORKING CONDITIONS

GOTS certification is not only about sustainable, environmentally friendly production, but also about ensuring fair working conditions for workers. This certificate guarantees that the products are manufactured under fair, free, hygienic, safe, and non-discriminatory conditions, without child labor, in compliance with legal working hours, and for a wage that enables a decent living.

So, how do you know if a product is GOTS-certified? To understand this, you need to look at the labeling on the product. The GOTS label should be placed on the product in a way that the consumer can recognize it at the time of purchase (e.g., on the packaging and/or label). Accurate and complete GOTS labeling includes the trademarked GOTS logo (or the words "Global Organic Textile Standard"), the GOTS label classification ("organic" or "from organic farming"), information about the certification body and its license number, and/or the name of the certified body. The labeling may include the license number of the final product and/or the name of the supplier (retailer, manufacturer), as retailers themselves are not required to be certified. Consumers can search for the certified organization in the database of GOTS-certified suppliers by entering the license number (or name) shown on the GOTS seal in the free text field.

From now on, when you see the GOTS logo on a garment, you know it was produced in a sustainable, non-toxic way and with respect for the people involved.

So you can dress your child with Walkiddy products without worry.