Certified Organic Clothing
Posted on August 11 2023
What is Certified Organic Clothing?
Certified organic clothing means that the claims on the labels of a garment are supported by the business through an organization with acknowledged testing and standards to ensure that the organic principles (health, ecology, fairness & care) are adhered to throughout the entire supply chain, from farm to finished product.
Certification is carried out by independent experts who physically inspect companies and facilities to verify that standards are met.
What are some of the organic certifications?
GOTS
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is an international certification for organic materials and fair labor practices. A textile product carrying the GOTS label 'organic' must contain a minimum of 95% certified organic fibers, whereas a product with the label 'made with organic' must have a minimum of 70% certified organic fibers. The label guarantees that the garment isn't made with any genetically modified products (GMO) and includes some fair labor standards. Organic fiber production is not directly covered by the GOTS certification system, as GOTS does not set standards for organic fiber cultivation. Instead, this is under the scope of organic farming standards, many of them defined by national governments.
Organic 100 Content Standard
The Textile Exchange developed this Organic100 Content Standard (OCS), and certifies the presence and amount of organic material from the source of the organic raw material to the final product. The OCS 100 logo is used only for products that contain 95% or more organic material. OCS blended is used for products that contain 5% minimum of organic material blended with conventional or synthetic raw materials. OCS approved products have the entire supply chain verified, even the farms must have certification to a legally recognized standard. This organization has content certifications and standards for other fibers including recycled, wool, alpaca, and mohair.
Oeko-Tex Organic Cotton
Oeko-tex Standard 100 is an international testing and certification process developed by the International Association for Research and Testing in the Field of Textile and Leather Ecology (Oeko-Tex Association). According to Oeko-Tex, this certification offers verification from farm to product. Products bearing this label have been manufactured of 100% organic cotton, without the use of GMOs, and tested for pesticides and other harmful substances.
USDA Organic
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), “If all instances of specific fibers in the finished product are certified organic, the label may claim the specific fibers are organic and state the percentage of organic fibers. Textiles that meet the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) may be sold as organic in the U.S. Unless the finished product is certified to the USDA organic regulations, product labels may not state or imply that the finished product is USDA organic or use the USDA organic seal.
How to know if your garment is certified?
To know if your clothing is certified organic, the percent of organic fiber, free of harmful substances, and ethically made, look for products that have these certifications on the labels.
Shop our Certified Organic Collection with a special 20% discount automatically applied at checkout!
Resources
-GOTS
