ISEAL is delighted to announce that the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) has recently been approved as an ISEAL Community Member. We are pleased to welcome GOTS to the ISEAL community, and we look forward to working with them and learning from their experience in organic textiles.
GOTS is the global standard for the post-harvest processing (including spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing) of apparel and home textiles made with certified organic fibre (such as organic cotton and organic wool), and includes both environmental and social criteria. Key provisions of their standard include a ban on the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), highly hazardous chemicals (such as azo dyes and formaldehyde), and child labour, while requiring strong social compliance management systems and strict wastewater treatment practices. GOTS was developed by international standard setters - Organic Trade Association (U.S.), Japan Organic Cotton Association, International Association Natural Textile Industry (Germany), and Soil Association (UK) to define globally-recognised requirements that ensure the organic status of textiles, from field to finished product.
Further to approval from the ISEAL Board on the 18 May, ISEAL’s Executive Director, Karin Kreider, commented, “I’m very pleased to welcome GOTS as an ISEAL Community Member. This move reflects their commitment to ongoing improvement and transparency within standards for organic textiles. It’s exciting to bring another well-respected sustainability system into our membership and we look forward to GOTS sharing their insights and experiences”.
GOTS’ Managing Director, Rahul Bhajekar, commented, “We believe, as a member, we can significantly contribute to the ISEAL community and are convinced of the collaborative approach among voluntary sustainability standards.”
Our membership
ISEAL Community Members are sustainability systems and accreditation bodies dedicated to delivering benefits for people and planet. They are committed to continually improving their systems and impacts through learning and innovation; collaborating with stakeholders and peers; and are transparent and truthful about how their systems work and how they measure their impacts.
In becoming an ISEAL Community Member, GOTS joins a growing number of well-respected sustainability systems that are driving positive social and environmental change across multiple sectors. GOTS will be working alongside these mission-driven sustainability organisations to continuously improve the effectiveness of their systems and demonstrate impact.
We encourage any organisation developing or operating a sustainability system with a multi-stakeholder approach and a commitment to credible practices to consider joining ISEAL.
