GOTS · Global Organic Textile Standard
GOTS certification consulting for organic textiles you can prove.
The Global Organic Textile Standard sets criteria for processing textiles made from organic fibres, verified by independent third-party certification; Sterling's expert and experienced consultants prepare your site, suppliers and records for the audit. We ensure successful certification for our clients.
- Fixed scope, one proposal: consulting, Effivity software, Sterling Academy access and internal auditor training, as applicable to your standard, in one proposal
- A team of expert and experienced consultants, with supply chain and management systems consulting delivered across sectors and countries since 2003
- The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements. Sterling does not certify; a GOTS-approved certification body audits and decides
8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries.
Sterling client experience
What it is
What is GOTS certification?
GOTS, the Global Organic Textile Standard, is owned by Global Standard gGmbH. It covers textiles made from organic fibres and the way they are processed and traded, with independent third-party certification among its key features.
Certification is carried out by certification bodies that GOTS approves and lists on its website; IOAS runs an accreditation programme for GOTS. For a processor, the core of the work is keeping certified organic material separate and traceable, and showing that processing meets the standard's criteria.
Current version. GOTS Version 7.0 has been released by Global Standard gGmbH. Check with your certification body which version applies to your audit and any implementation dates.
Who it is for
Who asks for GOTS certification?
Requests come from buyers who sell organic claims and need them backed up:
- Brands and retailers. A product sold as organic needs certified processors behind it, and buyers ask each stage of the chain for proof.
- Export markets. Importers and marketplaces look for a recognised scheme behind organic textile claims.
- Your own growth. Certification opens organic programmes with customers that only source from certified sites.
Each business that processes or trades the goods typically needs its own certification to pass the claim on.
Requirements
What are the main GOTS requirements?
GOTS sets environmental and social criteria for processing, and third-party certification. We have not reproduced its criteria or thresholds here; the lines below describe what Sterling's readiness work covers.
- Organic fibre inputs: certified organic inputs, with the supplier certificates to prove them
- Separation and traceability: organic material identified, stored and processed without mixing
- Processing and chemical inputs: records of the chemicals and processes used on organic goods
- Social responsibility: workplace policies and records for the site
- Records for the audit: purchase, production and sales records that reconcile
What does useful GOTS evidence look like?
Supplier certificates, purchase and sales records that balance, batch and lot identification, chemical input lists and workplace records. We keep them in Effivity so the auditor can trace a lot from receipt to dispatch.
Your engagement
What your GOTS engagement includes
Your engagement prepares your site and records for the certification body, under one all-inclusive proposal.
Scope and gap review
Products, processes and sites to certify, measured against the applicable GOTS version.
Traceability and procedures
Separation, identification and record-keeping built around your production.
Effivity ISO & GRC software
Suppliers, lots, chemical inputs and actions in one workspace, included with the engagement at no additional cost.
Training for everyone
Awareness for stores and production teams, and preferential Sterling Academy access, including complimentary awareness training for your people as part of the engagement.
Internal audit
A mock audit and mass-balance check, with findings closed before the auditor arrives.
Certification readiness and support
Support choosing a GOTS-approved certification body and through the audit until the certificate is issued.
Certification decisions remain with the GOTS-approved certification body.
Often combined with
Standards organisations pair with GOTS
- amfori BSCIamfori BSCI audit preparation for producers: gap assessment across the 13 performance areas, remediation, worker-facing evidence and support from Sterling.
- Better Cotton (BCI)Better Cotton (BCI) Chain of Custody certification for textile suppliers: stock and claim controls, reconciled records, training and audit readiness.
- BRCGS Packaging MaterialsBRCGS Packaging Materials certification explained: Issue 7, GFSI recognition, who asks for it and how Sterling prepares packaging sites for the audit.
- EN 71 / ASTM F963EN 71 and ASTM F963 toy safety compliance for manufacturers: product and market mapping, material control, test planning and records that keep lots conforming.
- Higg IndexHigg Index verification support for facilities: Higg FEM data and records, environmental controls, a review before posting and readiness for the verifier.
- IECQ QC 080000IECQ QC 080000 certification for electronics suppliers: identify, control, quantify and report hazardous substances, with gap analysis and audit readiness.
Effivity · ISO and GRC software, included in every engagement
How Effivity helps you fulfil, automate and simplify the requirements of GOTS.
Every Sterling GOTS engagement includes Effivity, the ISO and GRC automation platform built by the Sterling group and used in 50+ countries. Your consultant configures the workspace within the agreed scope, so supplier certificates, lots, chemical inputs, workplace records, audits and actions live in one place, the system runs in daily work and the certification auditor reviews a live system rather than a binder. Sterling consulting clients get their Effivity subscription included with the engagement, at no additional cost.
Scope, products and interested parties
The certified products, processes and sites, and the customers that require GOTS, are kept in one register and reviewed as ranges change.
Policy, roles and objectives
The policy, the responsibilities and the objectives with their measures, owners and dates live where the people who own them work; progress is reported from the system, not from a separate spreadsheet.
Risks and opportunities
A risk and opportunity register with owners, actions and review dates; treatments tracked to closure and brought to management review automatically.
Competence, awareness and documented information
Training and competence records for every person, linked to Sterling Academy; documents with versions, approvals and distribution, so the current version is the only one in use.
Suppliers, lots and chemical inputs
Supplier certificates with expiry alerts, incoming lots, production batches and approved chemical inputs, each linked so a lot can be traced end to end.
Monitoring, internal audit and management review
Audit programmes, findings and follow-up; KPIs on live dashboards; a management review that records its inputs, decisions and actions.
Nonconformity, complaints and corrective action
Raised, investigated and closed with root cause and the evidence that the action worked; recurring issues visible to management before they become a finding.
Your own processes, forms and reports
Forms, fields, workflows and reports adapted to how you work, without code; legal and customer requirements tracked to the processes they affect.
What this means at the audit
The auditor asks for supplier certificates, a mass balance and the records of a chosen lot. In Effivity each is a screen with dates and owners, not a folder assembled the week before. Sustain™ keeps the records current for the next audit.
In your engagement
- Subscription included with the engagement, at no additional cost
- Configured by your Sterling consultant within the agreed scope
- Your documents, records and registers migrated, not retyped
- Admin and user training for your team
- Modules for QMS, EMS, OHSMS, ISMS, FSMS and more when you integrate other standards
Sterling Academy · GOTS e-learning
Train every employee on GOTS, not just the production team.
Sterling Academy delivers e-learning for the whole workforce and for the people who run the system: video lessons with practice checkpoints, a final exam and a numbered Certificate of Completion for each learner, verifiable online. Sterling consulting clients benefit from preferential Sterling Academy course access and special pricing through their Sterling consultant, including complimentary awareness training for their people as part of the engagement.
- Organic handling awareness for stores and production staff
- Practitioner learning for the people who manage traceability and suppliers
- Internal auditor training for the people who will audit the system, as applicable to your standard, as part of the engagement
- Learner progress by department and a training status report for the certification auditor
- New hires trained as they arrive, so evidence stays current
- A Sterling consultant reachable when a learner needs one
Keep exploring
Explore more about GOTS
Why Sterling
Want successful GOTS certification? Come to Sterling.
Whether you run one unit or several, Sterling helps you build traceability that fits how material actually moves through your site.
Management systems in 60+ countries since 2003
Supply chain and management system work for manufacturers across every region we serve, with one engagement team accountable across every country you operate in.
All-inclusive proposal
Consulting, Effivity, training and Academy access in one proposal, with certification-body fees identified separately. No surprises, ever.
A system your people can use
Less documentation and maximum effectiveness: documents, training and software connected to day-to-day operations, so your people adopt the system rather than tolerate it.
Expert and experienced consultants
Consultants who have built traceability and management systems across sectors and countries since 2003, and who prepare your site properly the first time.
The Sterling Promise
What our GOTS certification success guarantee means
We stay with you until your agreed GOTS certification outcome is achieved, supporting implementation, preparation and the resolution of audit findings. Clear explanations, practical delivery, included software and employee learning turn the investment into lasting capability rather than a certificate on a wall.
The engagement identifies the standard, scope, outcome and responsibilities. Your organisation supplies accurate information and puts the agreed controls into use. The GOTS-approved certification body assesses conformity and retains its certification decision. Our commitment concerns the agreed certification support, not a promise of every future order.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions about GOTS
Who issues GOTS certificates?
Certification bodies approved by GOTS issue them. GOTS publishes the list of approved bodies on its website; Sterling does not certify.
Is GOTS the same as OEKO-TEX?
No. GOTS covers textiles made from organic fibres and how they are processed. OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 covers testing of articles for harmful substances.
Does a trader need GOTS certification?
Often yes, if it handles or relabels the goods and wants to pass on the claim. Confirm with a GOTS-approved certification body how your activity is treated.
Keep exploring
More on GOTS and related standards
More in Consumer goods, textiles & packaging
Talk to a consultant
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