GOTS reports growth in certification of organics supply chain

Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) reports that 2018 figures show an increase of 14.6 percent in facilities certified in the organics supply chain. A total of 5,760 certified facilities employ more than 2 million workers. Certified facilities are now located in 64 countries.

GOTS certification covers the processing of certified organic fibers along the entire supply chain, from field to finished product. The progress is seen in both production and consuming regions. Countries and regions with the largest growth in 2018 in GOTS certification are Bangladesh (+29 percent), North America (+25 percent), Pakistan (+23 percent) and South Korea (+23 percent).

The top ten countries in total number of certified facilities are India (1973), Bangladesh (689), Turkey (519), Germany (500), Italy (340), China (301), Pakistan (238), Portugal (215), U.S. (127) and South Korea (85).

Also in 2018, the number of chemicals in the GOTS Positive List showed an increase of 13 percent and included chemicals from 778 suppliers. The list contains trade names of approved chemicals for GOTS certified production.

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 certified organic fiber (such as organic cotton and organic wool), and includes both environmental and social criteria.