Under the latest version of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), certified users will have to calculate the gap between wages that are actually paid and living wages, and will be encouraged to work towards closing the distance.
Due for release today (19 March), GOTS version 6.0 comes after a revision process, undertaken every three years, which aims to set stricter ecological and social criteria while maintaining the relevance of the Standard.
International stakeholders with expertise in the field of organic production, textile processing, textile chemistry, and social criteria and industry representatives, NGOs and consumers contributed to the new version throughout the last year in several consultation rounds.
GOTS covers the entire 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. It offers full traceability from field to finished product.
In the new version, key requirements such as certified organic fibre content, the general ban on toxic and harmful chemicals, conventional cotton and virgin polyester as well as the social compliance management have been maintained, while other criteria became stricter.
Regarding GOTS social criteria, GOTS has included more “dynamic elements,” including the gap between wages paid and living wages (according to recognised calculations methods). Furthermore, they will be encouraged to work towards closing this gap. Specific references to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Due Diligence Guidance and Good Practice Guidance for Social Criteria and Risk Assessment, as well as ethical business practices, have been explicitly included.
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By GlobalDataWhen it comes to GOTS environmental criteria, product stewardship and environmental health and safety (EHS) requirements have been introduced for approved chemical formulators.
The newly released test protocol ISO/IWA 32 for GM screening of cotton serves as the recognised screening method of GMO presence.
Meanwhile, the new version withdraws the relaxation for the additional regenerated and virgin synthetic fibre content for socks, leggings, and sportswear, while product quality standards for colourfastness and dimensional stability are now mandatory.
“The GOTS Version 6 progressively furthers our mission. Pursuant to one of the most prolific comment periods in its revision history, GOTS continues to mature in scope, following keen consultations within the GOTS standards committee, external experts and inputs from stakeholders,” says Rahul Bhajekar, GOTS managing director and coordinator of its standards committee.
The transition period for users of GOTS to fully comply with the new version will be one year. The standard version and the corresponding implementation manual, as well as the list of changes are available on the website and can be downloaded.
The number of facilities certified to the GOTS increased by 35% year-on-year in 2019 – with the largest growth seen in Bangladesh and the Netherlands.
