The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) covers relevant processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling, trading and distribution activities for textiles made with at least 70% certified organic natural fibres. A GOTS claim should therefore be checked as an evidence chain: certified entity, product and process scope, shipment records, and the wording used on the label or webpage.
Start with the certified scope
GOTS may cover fibres, yarns, fabrics, garments, textile accessories, home textiles, bedding and other listed product categories. The applicable scope is not determined by the words “organic cotton” alone. The current Scope Certificate and its appendices should identify the certified entity, product categories, operations, facilities and relevant subcontracting arrangements.
For each product, check four relationships:
- which legal entity holds the certificate and what role it plays in the supply chain;
- whether the product, fibre composition and processing steps appear in the certified scope;
- whether the actual production sites and relevant subcontractors are covered; and
- whether the raw-material, processing and finished-product records can be linked.
Scope Certificate and Transaction Certificate
Scope Certificate (SC)
A Scope Certificate is issued by a GOTS-approved certifier to an entity that has demonstrated conformity through the applicable certification procedure. It lists the product categories, processing or trading activities, facilities and other scope details that the certified entity may offer under GOTS. It answers: “Is this entity and activity within a certified scope?”
Transaction Certificate (TC)
A Transaction Certificate supports a specific transaction or shipment. It records the relevant products and shipment information and answers: “Is there GOTS evidence for this particular delivery?” An SC by itself does not prove that a particular shipment is GOTS certified. Match the TC with the purchase order, invoice, shipping record, product description, quantity, dates and buyer/seller information.
Practical evidence review
- Certificate identity: record the certifier, certificate number, certified entity, validity information and product appendix. Confirm that the entity shown on the evidence has the role required for the intended claim.
- Scope match: compare the product name, fibre composition, process, production site and subcontracting steps with the SC and its appendices.
- Shipment match: confirm that the TC was issued by the relevant GOTS-approved certifier and that its products, quantities, parties, dates and shipment details agree with the commercial records.
- Supplier cross-check: use the GOTS Certified Suppliers Database as a search aid for entities, operations and products. It is not a substitute for reviewing the Scope Certificate; where information is uncertain, reconfirm it with the issuing certifier.
- Label and webpage review: retain the proposed artwork and copy, then check the GOTS signs, licence conditions and wording against the current Conditions for Use of GOTS Signs. Do not add the GOTS logo without the required authorization or turn an ordinary organic-cotton statement into a GOTS finished-product claim.
Keep the page claim within the evidence
State exactly which product, entity, shipment and evidence support the claim. Do not expand one facility’s certification into a claim that all products of a brand are GOTS certified, and do not describe an SC as proof that a finished product has a shipment-level certificate.
GOTS evidence does not replace the laws of a target market, a buyer’s private standard or a platform’s own requirements. Those requirements must be checked separately. Before publishing, have the certified entity, product owner and label or marketing reviewer compare the certificate version, product scope, TC records and final wording.
绿色方舟（深圳）认证有限公司 can use this framework to organise evidence, but certification decisions, certificate issuance and sign authorization remain subject to the applicable documents and the relevant GOTS-approved certifier.
