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In 2016, the number of facilities certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) increased by 21 percent for a total of 4,624. GOTS-certified facilities are now located in 63 countries around the world. (They were located in 68 countries in 2015.)
GOTS certification covers the processing of organic fibers along the supply chain, from field to finished product. Herbert Ladwig, GOTS managing director, attributes the increased number of facilities to a willingness of decision-makers to undergo third-party certification of GOTS social and environmental criteria.
Countries or regions with the largest increase in GOTS certification in 2016, in rank order include: Bangladesh (+121), China (+68), Italy (+54), India (+47), Germany (+41) and Pakistan (+30).
The top 10 countries in terms of total number of certified entities are: India (1,488), Turkey (423), Germany (347), Bangladesh (331), China (269), Italy (195), Pakistan (172), Portugal (96), Korea (61) and Japan (58).
To date, the 18 GOTS accredited independent certification bodies report that more than 1.4 million people in 4,354 (out of the actual 4,642) work in GOTS-certified facilities.
New facilities garnered new GOTS representatives. In 2016 seven regional representatives were working on GOTS promotion. Three new regional representatives were appointed: Lina Pfeifer in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; Lori Wyman in North America; and Elif Yaraşık, the first regional GOTS representative in Turkey.
GOTS is a voluntary global standard for the post-harvest processing (including spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing) of apparel and home textiles made with organic fiber (such as organic cotton and organic wool), and includes both environmental and social criteria.