What Is GOTS-Certified Organic Cotton?

You see it more and more often on clothing labels: GOTS-certified organic cotton. But what does it actually mean? And more importantly, what does the certification tell you about the clothes you wear?

At NWNORM, we mainly use GOTS-certified organic cotton. Not because a certification tells the whole story, but because it helps set clear standards for how cotton is processed and produced.

First: what is organic cotton?

Organic cotton is grown according to organic farming standards, without certain synthetic pesticides and fertilizers that are not permitted under these standards.

But the term ‘organic cotton’ alone doesn’t tell you what happens next.

Cotton goes through a long process before it becomes a T-shirt, hoodie or other garment. It is spun into yarn, dyed, turned into fabric and eventually made into clothing.

That’s where GOTS comes in.

What does GOTS stand for?

GOTS stands for Global Organic Textile Standard, an international standard for textiles made from organic fibres.

The standard looks beyond the cultivation of cotton. It also sets requirements for different stages of textile processing and production.

These include:

• the percentage of certified organic fibres;
• the use of chemicals during processing;
• wastewater requirements;
• traceability throughout the supply chain;
• social criteria for workers.

So GOTS isn’t just about where the cotton comes from. It also considers what happens to it before it becomes clothing.

When is cotton GOTS-certified?

GOTS has different label categories. For the ‘organic’ label, at least 95% of the fibres must be certified organic.

There is also ‘made with x% organic materials’, which requires at least 70% certified organic fibres.

That means a product containing organic cotton is not automatically the same as a GOTS-certified product.

Why do we choose GOTS?

For us, better clothing starts with more considered choices throughout the supply chain.

We want to know which materials we use and the standards under which they are processed. Independent certification like GOTS provides a clear framework for doing that.

At the same time, we don’t believe one certification automatically makes a garment ‘sustainable’ or ‘fair’.

Materials are only one part of the story.

How clothing is made, how a brand works with its production partners and, ultimately, how long a garment is worn matter just as much.

A certification is not the finish line

Better clothing is about more than a logo on a label.

That’s why we combine our material choices with a broader approach: timeless essentials, long-term partnerships with our production partners in Bangladesh, and clothing designed to earn a permanent place in your wardrobe.

Because ultimately, it’s not just about what your clothes are made from.

It’s about how they’re made, who makes them and how long you wear them.