The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is a voluntary standard for organic-textile processing and supply chains. This reference is based on Global Standard’s published GOTS Version 8.0 and certification and labelling materials. It helps teams map a customer request to product, site, certificate, transaction and page-claim records. It does not promise certification, platform eligibility, market access or customer acceptance.
1. Define what a GOTS certificate covers
GOTS Version 8.0 covers processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling, trading and distribution after the harvest of organic raw materials, for textiles made from at least 70% certified organic natural fibres. It also sets material-input, product-quality, environmental, social and governance requirements. The applicable requirements depend on the certified entity, site, activity and product category.
A supplier’s statement that it “has a GOTS certificate” is therefore not enough to support a claim for the current SKU. Product name, fibre composition, processing steps, certified site, shipment lot and proposed page wording should point to the same evidence record.
2. Read the Scope Certificate
Request the Scope Certificate issued by a GOTS-approved Certification Body. Check the certified entity, site or address, Certification Body, certificate number, standard version, certified activities, product categories, material scope and validity information. Compare those fields with the actual supplier, factory, product specification and trading relationship.
The official GOTS supplier database can help locate a certified entity, but GOTS notes that a database entry is not definitive proof of valid certification. Review the Scope Certificate in the entry or request it from the supplier; where necessary, reconfirm authenticity with the issuing Certification Body. Subcontracted facilities may not appear as separate database entries.
3. Match the Transaction Certificate to the shipment
The Scope Certificate answers who is certified, at which sites, and for which activities and products. A Transaction Certificate (TC) records the certified status of a specific delivery. Request the TC for the relevant shipment and check the buyer and seller, product description, quantity, lot or shipment information, certificate references and the upstream and downstream records that connect the transaction.
GOTS defines a TC as a document issued by an approved Certification Body for GOTS-certified products, listing product and shipment details and supporting traceability through volume reconciliation. An unrelated TC cannot replace evidence for the current SKU, and a Scope Certificate, TC, laboratory report and buyer questionnaire should not be treated as interchangeable documents.
4. Separate fibre content from labelling claims
Under GOTS Version 8.0, products with at least 95% certified fibre content, excluding accessories, may use the “Organic” or “Organic in-conversion” label grade. Products with at least 70% may use “Made with (x%) organic materials” or the corresponding in-conversion wording. The exact claim still depends on the applicable labelling conditions, composition and certification records; it should not be inferred from a supplier’s verbal statement.
The Standard lists the GOTS logo, label grade, Approved Certification Body reference and Certified Entity certification number among the mandatory elements for GOTS Goods labelling. Before using the GOTS name, logo or another certification reference, confirm that the final product is certified and correctly labelled under the applicable conditions. A preparation article should not turn a document checklist into a conclusion that a product is already certified.
5. Build one evidence register per SKU
At minimum, record the SKU and product description, fibre composition and calculation basis, finished-product and accessory scope, supply-chain sites, Scope Certificate, shipment-specific TC, purchase and production records, quantity or lot links, label artwork, proposed page wording, sign-use conditions and facts still requiring confirmation.
When the fibre recipe, processing site, supplier, packaging or page claim changes, recheck whether the certificate scope and transaction evidence still cover the new facts. A GOTS certificate does not automatically prove compliance with every national law, platform policy, brand procurement requirement or other certification scheme.
Sources: Global Standard’s Global Organic Textile Standard Version 8.0 (March 2026), GOTS Certification & Labelling, the Certified Suppliers Database and the Transaction Certificate Glossary. Standards, certification databases and sign-use conditions may change; check the official source and the relevant Certification Body’s documents before use.
