GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILE STANDARD

ECOLOGY & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Schoeller Wool

Aquarelle India

Organic by Feldmann

Ambica Cotton Mills

Lässig Fashion
Farm to Home

Denim Authority
Comazo Earth

Mightly

Olala Cotton World of Textiles

Mundotextil Simple Ecology

ANNUAL REPORT 2020

HIGHLIGHTS 2020

10,388 ‘GOTS Connect – Screen to Screen’

series recorded by the GOTS Staff in their home offices
certified
facilities Global Market
Staff
reported in total (following 7,765 Development
facilities in 2019), a 34% growth, 7 Regional Representatives
despite the severe restrictions Projects (China, Germany/Austria/Switzer-
caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan and Africa land, South Asia, Japan, Turkey, UK,
North America), 4 Special Assign-
ments (Policy and Legal, Organic

>4 Million Evolution

Production, Protection, Impact and
Quality Assurance) 2 Executives

workers of GOTS
(Communication and Administra-
tion), 1 Head of Quality Assurance
and Implementation, 2 Managing
reported in GOTS certified facilities
Website Directors

Social Audit
guidance GOTS participation in UN projects
document for Certification Bodies through United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Change
released (UNFCCC) and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

Increasing visits 16 approved GOTS

Certification Bodies
GOTS Version 6.0
and downloads on and corresponding Implementation
9 of whom have chemical input
GOTS website approval in their scopes
Manual released

GOTS signed the

COVID-19 measures open letter on
regarding certification: Audit guidelines for virtual (remote) audits released
for Certification Bodies, Scope Certificate validities extended for 3+3 months COVID-19 recovery
in 2020
initiated by WWF

GOTS endorsed Capacity Building 25,913 Approved

‘Better Work Progamme Chemical Inputs
Social Accountability International including 10,146 colourants, from
and Covid-19’ conducted the fourth series of two- 900 suppliers, an increase of 13%

initiated by ILO day training for Certification Body

personnel virtually in two sessions
(23,872 Chemical Inputs, 8,521
colourants from 871 suppliers)

2 GOTS ANNUAL REPORT 2020

 DEVELOPMENT

GOTS version 6.0 and the corresponding Criteria Certified Entities must calculate More and more laboratories are in the
Implementation Manual were released the gap of paid wages to ‘Living Wages’ process of accreditation according to the
in March 2020, after a year-long revision (according to recognised calculations 2019 completed genetically modified
process that saw the highest number methods) and are encouraged to close organism (GMO) testing method project
of comments and inputs. Based on this gap. Further, specific references to ISO IWA 32 for cotton, funded by the
discussions and decisions made at OECD Due Diligence Guidance and Good Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA).
the GOTS Advisory Council meeting in Practice Guidance for Social Criteria
February 2020, the Standard is in force and Risk Assessment as well as Ethical
1 March 2021. Regarding GOTS Social Business Practices have been included.

IMPLEMENTATION
DEVELOPMENT OF BUSINESSES

The number of GOTS certified facilities Regions with the largest growth in GOTS Portugal (449), Pakistan (391),
showed yet the greatest rise ever from certifications in 2020 (rank order in USA (167), and Sri Lanka (126).
7,765 in 2019 to 10,388, the highest percent) are: Africa (68,18%), Europe
figure so far and an increase of 34%. (30,73%) and North America (13,5%). 4,220,838 workers working in GOTS
The GOTS certified facilities are located In terms of total numbers of certified certified facilities were reported in
in 72 countries with continuous growth facilities, the highest increase is re- 2020 by the 16 accredited independent
in both production and consumption ported from India (+604), followed by Certification Bodies (CBs). The number
regions. Europe (+594) and China (+513). of chemical inputs in the Positive List
showed an increase of 13% to 25,913
Countries and regions with the largest The top ten countries in terms of total from 900 suppliers. The GOTS Positive
growth in GOTS certifications in 2020 numbers of GOTS certified facilities List contains trade names of approved
(rank order in percent) are: China in 2020 are: India (3,015), Bangla- chemicals that must be used by all tex-
(114%), Sri Lanka (103%), Hong Kong desh (1,584), Turkey (1,107), China tile processors for their GOTS certified
(87%), France (82%) and Portugal (49%). (961), Germany (684), Italy (588), production.

Countries and regions with the largest Top ten countries in terms of total
increase in GOTS certification in 2020. number of certified entities.

SRI LANKA
PORTUGAL USA INDIA

PAKISTAN
FRANCE CHINA
PORTUGAL

ITALY

HONG KONG
SRI LANKA GERMANY BANGLADESH

CHINA TURKEY

GOTS ANNUAL REPORT 2020 3

 VERIFICATION
THIRD PARTY VERIFICATION

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a In October, the GOTS Guidance Doc- audits, and attended 2 quarterly virtual
temporary change of GOTS annual on- ument ‘Auditor Guidance for Auditing meetings together with Textile Exchange
site audits. Due to restrictions in travel Social Criteria of GOTS 6.0’, put together (TE) to discuss topics related to assur-
and operations, GOTS decided to extend through expert inputs from GOTS Stand- ance and CB oversight. He also provided
the validity of GOTS Scope Certificates ard Committee members, and created inputs to finalise policies and documents
by 6 months from the date of expiry, to by an external expert, was released to such as Version 2.0 of the document
ensure that certification remains valid. all CBs to provide uniform implementa- ‘Policy and Template for Issuing Letters
GOTS also permitted remote audits for tion of Social Audits under GOTS. of Approval for GOTS Additives’ and the
GOTS Certified Entities. Guidelines were ‘Guidance Note for Implementation of
set-up and are still in force until the GOTS approved two consultants, to GOTS Version 6.0’.
situation is back to normal. offer expert consultancy services to the
textile industry to achieve certification To measure the sustainability impact of
GOTS operates with 16 approved CBs, to GOTS. GOTS in terms of social, environmental
9 of whom have chemical input approval and economic aspects, Prachi Gupta,
in their scopes. In January, GCL Inter- QUALITY ASSURANCE GOTS Expert Quality Assurance and
national has been approved as Certifica- Sumit Gupta, former Representative in Impact, shared a questionnaire devel-
tion Body. We received applications from India and Bangladesh, has been ap- oped in 2019, and received 245 re-
different organisations worldwide and pointed GOTS Head Quality Assurance sponses about the certification process.
are in the process of accreditation. and Implementation. In his position, Results allow to continuously improve
he conducted training for Certification the certification and audit process and
The GOTS-Social Accountability Inter- Bodies, the GOTS staff and participated competence of the CBs. The survey,
national (SAI) training programme as a speaker in several webinars. which is on-going, is sent to facilities
for Social Audits of GOTS Certified that are undergoing new certification as
Entities continued in 2020. Due to the Sumit held regular correspondence with well as those which are being renewed.
pandemic, SAI moved the SAI-GOTS our main cooperating partner IOAS,
training to an online platform limited to for the approval process and continu- GOTS signed the open letter ‘The
16 participants each, 2 sessions were ous monitoring of the GOTS approved COVID-19 recovery: time to speed up
held with 33 participants. New training Certification Bodies. He observed more sustainability of the fashion, apparel
will be held in 2021. than 10 surveillance audits, 2 witness and textile sector’, initiated by WWF. It

The responses to the survey show:

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%
0

65% of the survey 79% claimed the reason 83% reported 98% said that
participants have for GOTS certification increasing their GOTS certification
a new certification was due to sustainability business after provided added
principles GOTS certification value for their business

4 GOTS ANNUAL REPORT 2020

represents a call for action on behalf of GOTS also endorsed the initiative of the standards and codes. Further, she
a coalition of leading actors in the fash- International Labour Organization (ILO) started working on a project with the
ion, apparel and textile sector and NGOs and Better Work ‘Covid-19: Action in the International Association Natural Textile
that work for a more sustainable fashion global garment industry’. Industry (IVN) and GIZ for companies
industry. This initiative ensures that sus- along the textile value chain to support
tainability remains central in the face of Prachi continued to work on the align- the employment promotion of people
the collective recovery from COVID-19. ment of GOTS to industry leading with disabilities in a practical way.

Ecology & Social Responsibility From Field to Fashion

PROTECTION

We received over 200 complaints via our

complaint form, most of them from the
USA (38%), followed by Germany (35%)
and Europe. We sued five companies
and sent out 22 warning letters. The
complaint form has been improved, with
mandatory fields about web pages and
contact information.

In March, we received an enquiry from

Amazon asking for support of the imple-
mentation of GOTS products into their
Climate Pledge Friendly Program (CPFP).
The seller is only allowed to present a
GOTS product on Amazon after having
provided evidence of certification and
correctly labelled products. Amazon
agreed to set up a GOTS Amazon
complaint account, to trace the com-
plaints in our account. Product selling
pages can be locked immediately until
correction or proof of certification is
completed.

GOTS ANNUAL REPORT 2020 5

 GOTS STORIES

MARC O’POLO, GERMANY

‘We are MARC O’POLO, an international casual fashion brand established in Stock-
holm in 1967. Our products are synonymous with innovation, quality and Scan-
dinavian design. An affinity for natural materials has been part of our brand DNA
since the beginning. Working with sustainable materials and innovations for our
products is a matter of course for us. Since May of 2020, we are GOTS-certified.
This is an important milestone on our journey to sustainability, one of the targets
of which is to offer only sustainable products by 2023. We are glad to include an
increasing number of GOTS-certified products in our collections. Above all, the
transparency that comes with the GOTS seal is an important value for us as a
brand, for our trade partners and for our customers. Join us on our journey!’

MARC O’POLO Casual Women

Susanne Schwenger, CPO of MARC O’POLO AG

Archroma

ARCHROMA, INDIA

‘Archroma strives to create essential solutions aimed at making our value chain and the industries we
serve more sustainable every day, everywhere. Archroma takes initiatives to reduce environmental
risks in the production, storage, distribution and usage of our products and in the disposal of waste.
The strict and core focus on social and environmental criteria advocated by GOTS are highly consistent
with the Archroma Way of Safe, Efficient and Enhanced. Archroma strongly believes in independent
third-party evaluation and certification of its products and ever increasing GOTS approved product
portfolio has been a testament for the same.’

Dr. Rajesh Ramamurthy,

Vice President & Regional Head – Product Stewardship Asia Archroma India Pvt Limited

6 GOTS ANNUAL REPORT 2020

 Heart bedding manufacturing in Japan

HEART, JAPAN

‘We believe in making products that are safe and reliable for people and the environment, which is our
company Heart’s origin. Since we started in 1988, we have always put a priority on the environment,
as well as on developing organic textile products for those who suffer from chemical allergies. We have
been working on organic certification activity since 2005. And in 2009, sympathized with the ideal
and principle of GOTS, we became the first bedding manufacturer in Japan to be GOTS certified. GOTS
criteria fulfil our dream to be an organic manufacturer with an ethical business practice that continues
to carry forward sustainable development. At Heart, we will promise to keep making products which
are environmentally friendly for the better of our next generations.’

Hiroaki Yamaoka, President Heart

TAFEKS TEKSTIL, TURKEY

‘We, TAFEKS TEKSTIL, are a plain dyed and printed woven fabrics producer from
Bursa, which is the capital of textiles in Turkey. Since a long time, we are aware
that the textile industry has a very big carbon footprint. We already took meas-
ures to minimize our carbon footprint, but we were thinking that something on a
much bigger scale should be done, to leave a healthier planet for the generations
to come. When we heard about the sustainability targets of the biggest chain
stores in Europe who are our main customers, we wanted to be one of the first
companies to step up to the challenge. So as a result, our production units in-
cluding spinners, weavers, and dyehouses now work in compliance with all GOTS
requirements. This helped us to create great awareness for sustainability among
our production units. We are happy that our production partners are coming to
us with sustainability projects and solutions and that we take responsibility for a
better future.’

Tafeks Tekstil textiles

Eren Sözüçetin, Sales Marketing Executive

GOTS ANNUAL REPORT 2020 7

 GOTS STORIES

NATURES PUREST TEXTILE, CHINA

‘Natures Purest Textile (Beijing) Co. Ltd. specializes in planting, researching, pro-
ducing and promoting of organic cotton textiles products. We have a large organic
naturally-colored cotton farm certified by USDA NOP in Dunhuang, Gansu Province,
China. We adhere to the principles of being organic, healthy and eco-friendly since
establishment. Our brand SIMPLY·SIMPLE has always been committed to providing
consumers with simple, comfortable and safe organic textiles. We go through the
stringent GOTS certification in each stage of production from harvesting to spin-
ning, weaving, garment manufacturing to make sure the final textile products are
green, eco-friendly and meet the strict social criteria. Using the naturally colored
organic brown cotton and organic green cotton to match with non-bleached organ-
ic white cotton, SIMPLY·SIMPLE offers not only safe but also fashionable textiles to
conscious consumers.’
Natures Purest organic
cotton field in Gansu
General Manager, Shun Guo

EVERLANE, US NATRACARE, UK

‘Everlane started in 2011 by reinventing the cotton T-shirt. ‘As the inventors of the world’s first certified organic tam-
Cotton has remained at the heart of our product line, but pon, Natracare has witnessed 30 plus years of changing
with rampant pesticide use in conventional cotton produc- attitudes towards menstrual products and has laid the
tion, our tees were not being made quite as ethically as groundwork for millions to have more sustainable period
we wanted them to be. As the next step toward a cleaner products worldwide. Susie Hewson founded Natracare
planet, Everlane committed to transition all conventional in 1989, when there were no alternatives to the chemi-
cotton production to organic cotton by 2023 and released cal-laden and plastic-filled period products flooding the
a GOTS-certified T-shirt. As a brand rooted in transpar- market and several years before an organic standard was
ency, our goal is to build trust with our customers. GOTS available for tampons. In 2000, Natracare submitted to
allows us to build trust as it is the leading-certification in GOTS a subsection specifically for menstrual products,
organic production.’ which was included in version 5.0 of the standards. Since
then, we have contributed further to GOTS version 6.0, to
Kimberley Smith, Chief Supply Chain Officer help protect the integrity of the category, strengthen the
environmental principles and prepare for growth in the
category.’

Susie Hewson, Founder

Everlane women’s wear Natracare organic tampons

8 GOTS ANNUAL REPORT 2020

 PROMOTION
DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILE STANDARD

ECOLOGY & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILE STANDARD
ECOLOGY & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY with 2,054,241 page-views (2019: Views, Ecotextile News, Pure and Eco,
T G O T S GOTS
1,708,530). It counted 72,471 (2019: TextilWirtschaft, Vogue, and Sourcing
WHY GOTS?
GOTS certification helps
57,650) downloads, most of them Journal and supported the publication
obtain leadership position with
On 25th September 2015, member
countries of the United Nations adopted
a set of goals to end poverty, protect the
Organic Fibres
regard to the UN Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) the Standard Document followed by of the Cotton & Sustainability Guide,
planet, and ensure prosperity for all as
part of a new sustainable development
agenda. Each goal has specific targets to
be achieved by 2030. Ecological & Social Standards
the Labelling Guide. 941,249 (2019: released in April 2020. Varying sourc-
The concept of Sustainable Development
provides a comprehensive definition of
development as it links ecological services
821,185) page-views were counted on es mentioning GOTS such as brands,
and quality of life with economic growth. Thir art Certification
The 17 SDGs provide a common language
and measurement framework to achieve
sustainable development. GOTS S D G
the GOTS Certified Suppliers Database. trade media, NGOs, daily news, blogs
Please see how certification to GOTS
helps to ensure compliance with each of
the 17 goals.
All Processing Stages
This confirms the database as a central and influencers, show great interest
G O T S global-standard.org

instrument for verification, searching and growing awareness of the stand-

and sourcing. ard. Brands increasingly advertise their
Following the new GOTS Design Guide GOTS certification and certified products
the flyers From Field to Fashion, Are At the beginning of the COVID-19 and many publishing houses, as well
You Allowed to Label GOTS Goods or lockdown, GOTS staff shared stories as the German Broad Cast Station WDR
mention GOTS in your Advertising and from their home offices and created a asked for use of the GOTS logo.
the WHY GOTS? GOTS Certification helps series of clips on topics such as GOTS
obtain leadership position with regard to and organic, correct labelling and new The community of followers on the
the UN SDGs were updated. The GOTS developments in GOTS Version 6.0 GOTS Social Media channels
Simple Show Clip was published in Hindi. (see next page). (Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
@globalorganictextilestandard) is
More GOTS Material for You on our MEDIA steadily growing.
website such as: Our media reporting showed around
• The GOTS Fact Sheets 400 weekly GOTS mentions globally
• GOTS Simple Show Clip in different (2019: 180), and a growing number of
languages 700 Million potential viewers (2019:
• The GOTS film 220 Million). The Top ten countries of
• GOTS Security Advice Ads GOTS Media Coverage in 2020 are the
USA (13,929), Japan (2,427), Germany
(1,597), UK (869), Canada (659), China “SUSTAINABILITY”
SECURITY ADVICE
(641), Korea (630), India (558), France AS A TERM MAY
FOR CONSUMERS
Label (483) and Spain (400). NOT BE CLEAR AND
Grade

PROTECTED,
! Organic Certifier We published four GOTS Newsletters BUT GOTS IS.
certified by
certifier s re
Licence No
D
GOTS and 13 Press Releases.
P
complete labelling License Number

www.global-standard.org
GOTS was covered in numerous indus-
try media worldwide, such as Apparel

On 24th April, during the Fashion Revo-

lution Week and the anniversary of the
Rana Plaza factory collapse, the first
GOTS clip ‘Faces From Field to Fashion –
Meet Mariados’ was launched.

In December 2020, the evolution of the

website was completed and the website
was launched. New features on the web-
site include quick links with customised
information, the GOTS Resource Library
and information on GOTS requirements
for each step of the supply chain.

The web analysing tool Matomo record-

ed a higher number of visitors 497,871
compared to last year (2019: 395,817)

GOTS ANNUAL REPORT 2020 9

GOTS CONNECT –
SCREEN TO SCREEN SERIES
In 2020, GOTS staff recorded the
‘GOTS Connect – from Screen to
Screen series’ to stay connected
and share valuable information.

Greenwash and how to avoid it? 全球有机纺织品标准（GOTS）基本知识

Go for GOTS. Christopher talks about 点介绍（一）// Introduction to GOTS.
false sustainability claims, the key Felicia will navigate you through the
elements of true sustainability, and GOTS website (in Chinese).
Find all clips here why to go for GOTS.

GOTS Introduction – GOTS and GOTS Material for You. In this GOTS GOTS Produkte in Discountern
Organics. Lina shares insights on how Connect clip Juliane presents the availa- // GOTS products in discounters.
GOTS relates to the organic movement ble GOTS Marketing Material for You. Franziska gives answers to ‘how certified
and what makes GOTS the largest process- products can be offered at low prices’
ing standard for organic textiles today. and ‘is that sustainable’? (in German)

オーガニックテキスタイル世界基準 Organic Verification of Textiles with GOTS Monitor (Water/Energy) Tool.

GOTSの成立ちと団体紹介 // GOTS GOTS. Lori explains how GOTS requires Prachi is taking you through the salient
Introduction. Watch Miyoshi’s all steps throughout the supply chain features of the GOTS Monitor Water/
introduction of GOTS (in Japanese). to include stringent environmental and Energy Tool.
social criteria.

How to label GOTS Products Covid Döneminde GOTS // GOTS GOTS Version 6 – Changes. Social
Correctly. From who is allowed to measures during COVID. Elif talks Criteria and Ethical Business
label GOTS to how can I make sure to about the measures GOTS took Behaviour. Sumit takes you through the
label correctly, Otto answers the most during COVID from her home in Izmir changes made to GOTS Social Criteria and
pressing questions. (in Turkish). Ethical Business Behaviour and addresses
the Quality Assurance System.

10 GOTS ANNUAL REPORT 2020

PROMOTION EVENTS TO THE INDUSTRY regulations in China. Brands included
Around the globe, GOTS Represent- Target, the Aldi Textile Sourcing Team in
atives organised round tables, gave Hong Kong, Marc O’Polo, Esprit and Lidl.
presentations and hosted GOTS booths She further responded to enquiries from
at numerous events such as Intertextile Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Shanghai, Ekoloji Izmir, Neonyt Berlin,
Munich Fabric Start, Pure London, Representative in Germany, Austria and
Organic Lifestyle Expo Tokyo and the Switzerland Franziska Dormann, provid-
Texworld NYC. ed initial consultancy about GOTS to an
increasing number of companies in the
The Representatives also contributed to German-speaking region and Scandi-
some events by joining panel discus- navia. It was noticeable that GOTS is
sions and giving presentations about gaining more importance in public pro-
GOTS. Franziska Dormann joined the curement in Germany. Franziska hosted
panel ‘Transparency in textile supply a virtual GOTS round table for Exclusive
chains’ at the Neonyt, and Christopher Merchandising Products (EMO). She also
Stopes was on the panel ‘The impor- supported students’ research, gave the
tance of certification and the role of master class ‘Transparency along global
GOTS in encouraging the use of organic supply chains’ at the University of Erfurt
fibres and organic manufacturing’ at the and presentations for Textile Engineers
Pure London. Presentations at events and Fashion Managers at the University
included the Conference ‘India and of Hof and the FHM.
Sustainability Standards: International
Dialogues’ where Sumit Gupta was In Japan, Representative Satoko
invited to talk about ‘Voluntary Sustain- Miyoshi followed up with Sazaby League
ability Standards (VSS) Contribution Cooperation, owning about 50 brands
to SDGs In India’. In China, Felicia Shi to implement GOTS certification. She
contributed to the ‘ECOCERT Seminar also prepared an online webinar for
on Sustainable Textiles’ by introducing ZOZO, the biggest online platform for
the latest policy and market trends of fashion in Japan, with over 8,000 brands
GOTS. She also joined the IFOAM Asia and consulted Fast Retailing. Miyoshi
First China Organic Forum, responding provided initial consultancy to several
to the increasing interest in GOTS in the companies such as Avanti, Noa and
session ‘How GOTS Assures the Con- Kuroki. In December, Miyoshi hosted a
sumers from Field to Fashion.’ In Japan, In October, Ganesh Kasekar was ap- GOTS round table online, with over 70
Miyoshi Satoko gave a seminar at the pointed GOTS Representative South Asia attendees. She also introduced GOTS
Organic Cotton Advisor event, organised taking over the role from Sumit, includ- certification for wool products at the
by Japan Organic Cotton Association ing the regions Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Asian Productivity Organisation training
(JOCA). Ganesh re-established communication for Mongolia. In October, Miyoshi held a
with companies such as BIBA and lecture at the Organic Foundation course
APPROACHING RELEVANT TEXTILE Northmist and gave initial consultancy about non-food organics including GOTS.
OPERATORS AND INITIAL CONSULTANCY to companies like Noman Group, Forever
FOR GOTS CERTIFICATION 21 and Boll & Branch. Fiona Matsumoto, who took over the
In India, in his former role as GOTS role of GOTS Representative in Japan
Representative for India and Bangla- Although COVID-19 posed significant by the end of the year, conducted a
desh, Sumit Gupta conducted an onsite challenges to the conventional textiles Global Market Development Project.
workshop for the retail group ‘Max’. He business, according to statistics, China In this project, Fiona researched the
consulted BESTSELLER, BonOrganic and saw an increase in consumption of over- Japanese Market in regard to sustainable
other retailers and brands about GOTS. all organic products. Felicia Shi, Repre- development and sustainable initiatives
Overall, he provided initial consultan- sentative in China, provided initial con- of retailers and brands. Results allow
cy in India and Bangladesh to over sultancy about correct labelling, updates to analyse challenges when it comes
100 companies and buying agents of in GOTS Version 6.0 and GOTS quality to GOTS certified products and how to
international brands. Sumit also served assurance to various brands such as TA- overcome such.
as lecturer at the National Institute of LAK, Homedepot and JAD Board. Felicia
Fashion Technology in Mumbai, where he also provided training for international Elif Yaraşik, Representative in Turkey,
talked about ‘GOTS and eco-labels’ and brands and retailers about GOTS, and provided consultancy to Burberry and
conducted training for Indian Chemical answered questions about GMO testing, big retailers such as Tesco and the
Manufacturers. approval of chemical inputs and on Otto Sourcing Office in Turkey. She
legal requirements of organic labelling attended the yearly review meeting with

GOTS ANNUAL REPORT 2020 11

LC Waikiki virtually. Elif also organised NEW DEVELOPMENTS
initial consultancy for Helge Fleischer Herbert Ladwig, Policy and Legal Advi-
ApS and Lilaörme and responded to sor, focused on the further development
enquiries from Austria, Sweden and Tu- of the project ‘Enhancement of GOTS in
nisia. She noticed an enormous interest Africa’. The kick-off conference ‘African
in GOTS certification. Organic Textiles & Apparel – Towards
an African Value Chain’ planned to be
In the UK, Representative Christopher held in Addis Ababa, to introduce the
Stopes supported larger retailers and creation of a complete African supply
brands, such as Amazon, ASOS, Primark, chain for GOTS consumer goods, had to
Arcadia, Next, Li & Fung, Chanel and be postponed due to COVID restrictions.
Primark in their journey towards GOTS. Activities to induce East African proces-
The number of certified companies in the sors to get GOTS certified and looking
UK was increasing. Christopher consulted for African CBs continue in 2021.
more than 30 companies and brands.
GOTS also initiated a partnership with WORK WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS
the Organic Trade Board (OTB) in the UK. AND OFFICIAL BODIES
The partnership opens the opportunity to GOTS is a signatory to the United
link organic textiles and organic food con- Nations Fashion Industry Charter for
sumers. Christopher supported Bachelor Climate Change (UNFCCC), aiming to
and Master students in their research. achieve net-zero carbon emissions by
2050. We participated in the delibera-
In North America, the pandemic slowed tions of the UNFCCC working groups,
down the number of companies request- which produced a ‘Playbook for Climate
ing certification. Lori Wyman gave virtu- Action’ on how GHG emissions could
al presentations to retail executives with be approached by the Fashion Industry.
the largest ones being Target, Walmart GOTS was part of the group of experts,
Canada and Amazon. Lori also provided contributing to the Sustainable Textile
initial consultancy to brands such as and Leather Traceability and Transpar-
Prana, Stitch Fix, Victoria’s Secret and ency initiative, enhancing transparency
Canada Goose. She organised a virtual and traceability of sustainable value
round table with over 75 participants. chains in the garment and footwear
Lori gave interviews to journalists from industries. The information on best prac-
consumer and trade publications about tices enables policymakers to advance
GOTS, including the Wall Street Journal the policy and regulatory frameworks
and wrote an article geared towards re- and to support brands, manufacturers
tailers in the Organic Trade Association’s and factories in their efforts to imple-
‘The Organic Report Magazine’ fall issue. ment improvement plans. GOTS contrib-
uted to the Policy Recommendations,
ORGANIC PRODUCTION Textile Sector and Pilots, Training and
Lina Pfeifer, GOTS Organic Production, Awareness sub-groups in the ‘Multi-
contributed to promote organic cotton Stakeholder Policy Dialogue Platform’.
as well as organic in conversion. She
consulted organisations and companies, In December, GOTS signed a partnership
such as C&A and Kering, about organic with the Alliance for Organic Integrity
production and GOTS and continued (AOI), focused on the quality of organic
to be an active member in the organic inspection, to increase Quality Assur-
fibres group of the Partnership for Sus- ance regarding certification.
tainable Textiles (PST). She also partici-
pated in discussions following up on GIZ In India, the Centre for Responsible Busi-
programmes on organic cotton in Uzbek- ness is working on listing contributions
istan and attended events to connect of VSS to India. Sumit participated in
and share information about GOTS and meetings to include GOTS in the project
Organic Production, such as the Wool ‘Profile of Voluntary Sustainability
Connect Conference. In the preparation Standards in India’. The outcome of the
of the project ‘Enhancement of GOTS in project will be shared with the Govern-
Africa’, Lina fostered relationships with ment of India, to promote the adoption
African organic cotton producers. of VSS as a tool to meet UN SDGs.

12 GOTS ANNUAL REPORT 2020

Ganesh supported the Pakistan Central This also concerned the advocacy and
Cotton Committee (PCCC) over the communication by IFOAM OI of the need
organic farming procedures, training will for a whole-supply chain labelling of
continue in 2021. organic textiles, including fibre produc-
tion and processing (as it is the case for
In China, Felicia signed up to the organic food).
UNFCCC-China Task Force, built on the
UNFCCC initiative. The initiative aims A contract for the recruitment of a Brus-
to support on-going activities of the sels based lobbyist between IFOAM OE
Working Group Fashion Industry Charter and GOTS was finalised. Lobbying work
for Climate Action (FICCA) led by China is expected to start in 2021. The Euro-
National Textile and Apparel Council pean Commission Directorate General
(CNTAC) to facilitate the Policy Advocacy for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepre-
China Roadmap. neurship and SMEs, Tourism and Creative
Industries postponed the Expert Group
In Germany, Franziska attended meet- on Textile Names and Labelling meeting.
ings of PST and the Steering Committee.
She is also part of the expert groups Re- their white paper. MoE started to investi- The European Commission published
view process and Gender-based Violence gate sustainability in the textile industry the New Circular Economy Action Plan
and Harassment. Together with IVN, GIZ and followed up with the Ministry of to implement key elements of the Green
and PST, GOTS initiated a project on Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery (MAFF) New Deal. The plan highlights the need
Gender-based violence and Harassment regarding fibre certification. for improving the sustainability and
and Social audits. Two webinars for circularity of the European textile sector
interested companies and stakeholders In Turkey, Elif worked with the govern- and calls for the preparation of the Euro-
were held and a Guidance document on mental research institute TÜBİTAK to pean Strategy for Textiles in 2021. GOTS
Social audits was developed. The project provide details of GOTS requirements has been investigating the possibility of
continues in 2021. Franziska also gave in organic textile production, to support contributing to the strategy planned for
an interview to the Austrian Ministry the implementation of GOTS in one EU 2021.
of Social Affairs regarding GOTS Social Eco Label project.
Standards. GOTS joined an online consultation,
IFOAM Organics International continued initiated by the European Commission
In Japan, Miyoshi supported the Ministry to implement Motion 61, approved by Directorate General for Justice and Con-
of Environment (MoE) to include GOTS in the 2017 IFOAM OI General Assembly. sumers, on the role of consumers in a

GOTS ANNUAL REPORT 2020 13

green transition. GOTS emphasised, that
clear sustainability standards such as
GOTS are necessary to provide honest
information on the environmental and
social impact of textiles.

The UK Sustainable Clothing Action

Plan (SCAP) reached the end of its
first phase. A new initiative, Textiles
2030, was launched during 2020 with a
commitment amongst brand and retailer
signatories to reduce the carbon, water
and waste footprint of the textiles they
supply. GOTS is a supporter of the SCAP
initiative and Textiles 2030. It includes
the commitment to use more sustaina- organic cotton scenarios tested to show a ‘design-led investigation into an
ble fibres with organic cotton included the potential for reductions in carbon organic system approach to fashion
as one of the improvement actions. The and water footprints. and textiles’ funded by the organic
SCAP Footprint Tool is designed to allow Sheepdrove Trust with specific reference
retailers to enter their fibre mix and The funding for the post-doctoral to GOTS and GOTS’ involvement in the
calculate the carbon, water and waste research project with the London Steering Group.
footprint. The tool was reviewed and College of Fashion was finalised. It is

14 GOTS ANNUAL REPORT 2020

ORGANISATION

Our organisation maintains a flat structure and aims to minimise administrative costs.
The GOTS programme is self-financed. All income is used to reach our objectives. Accordingly, the operating unit has legal
non-profit status (Global Standard gemeinnuetzige GmbH).

POLICY & LEGAL ADVISOR

MANAGING DIRECTORS

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Rahul Bhajekar Claudia Kersten Herbert Ladwig Jacqueline Schneider
REPRESENTATIVES

Franziska Dormann Ganesh Kasekar Fiona Matsumoto Felicia Shi

IN GERMANY, AUSTRIA IN SOUTH ASIA IN JAPAN IN CHINA
& SWITZERLAND SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS
REPRESENTATIVES

Prachi Gupta
Christopher Stopes Lori Wyman Elif Yaraşik RESPONSIBLE QUALITY
IN UK & TO THE EU IN NORTH AMERICA IN TURKEY ASSURANCE AND IMPACT
SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS

Otto Kersten Lina Pfeifer Mark Sebastian Juliane Ziegler

PROTECTION OFFICER ORGANIC PRODUCTION PROJECT MANAGER COMMUNICATION
CENTRAL DATABASE SYSTEM EXECUTIVE

GOTS ANNUAL REPORT 2020 15

 GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILE STANDARD
ECOLOGY & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

GOTS is recognised as the world’s leading all major selling markets. GOTS is comprised
processing standard for textiles made from of four well-respected member organisations:
organic fibres. It defines high-level environ- Organic Trade Association (OTA), USA, Inter-
mental criteria along the entire supply chain national Association of Natural Textile Indus-
of organic textiles and requires compliance try (IVN), Germany, Soil Association, UK and
with social criteria as well. GOTS was de- the Japan Organic Cotton Association (JOCA),
veloped by leading international standard Japan. Together with international stake-
setters in order to define globally recognised holder organisations and experts, they con-
requirements that ensure the organic status tribute their respective expertise in organic
of textiles – from harvesting of the raw ma- farming and environmentally and socially res-
terials through environmentally and socially ponsible textile processing to GOTS. The mo-
responsible manufacturing all the way to la- nitoring system is based on on-site inspection
belling – in order to provide credible assuran- and certification performed by independent,
ce to the consumer. Supported by the growth specially accredited bodies. This assures the
in consumption of organic fibres and by the integrity of GOTS certified textiles.
remarkable demand for standardised pro-
cessing criteria from the industry and retail The GOTS licence entitles value chain part-
sector, GOTS has already gained universal re- ners to participate in the GOTS programme,
cognition. It enables processors and manufac- including the use of the GOTS logo on its
turers to supply their textiles made from or- respective GOTS goods.
ganic fibres with one certification accepted in

OUR VISION
Organic textiles will become a significant part of everyday life,
enhancing people’s lives and the environment.

OUR MISSION
The development, implementation, verification, protection and
promotion of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).

Organic Ecological & Third Party All Processing

Fibres Social Standards Certification Stages

© Global Organic Textile Standard

www.global-standard.org