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How organic fashion can transform the industry and protect the planet
In an ideal world, every stitch of fabric and thread in our clothing would benefit both people and the planet. Textile production would nourish soil health, preserve biodiversity, protect water resources, and uplift communities. Instead, today’s fashion industry paints a starkly different picture—one of environmental degradation and social harm.
From synthetic fibres derived from fossil fuels to unsustainable farming practices, the production of textiles continues to drive climate change and pollute ecosystems. Organic, regenerative, and recycled fibres—often heralded as “preferred fibres”—remain a small fraction of the market. The challenge of shifting this balance looms large.
“Organic agriculture is a production process that sustains the health of ecosystems, soils, and people.” according to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).
In a world awash with multiple “truths”, it is critical to have reliable sources of information and guidance. Launched in 2006, GOTS is a textile processing standard that ensures that the chain of custody of organically grown fibres remains organic and that the fibre is not contaminated by non-organic substances during processing. Since GOTS consists solely of mandatory environmental and social criteria, manufacturers, designers and consumers of clothing can be confident in a GOTS-certified organic product.
For the end product to carry a GOTS label, every processor in the product supply chain must be certified to maintain organic integrity and provide assurance to the end consumer of the true organic status of the product. Through this stringent certification process, it ensures that clothing and textiles, made from certified organically produced raw materials like organic cotton, silk, flax and wool, remain truly organic.
How GOTS can help producers, designers and makers
For producers of organic fabrics and clothing, GOTS has an extensive database where you can search for suppliers of GOTS-certified products from certified entities along the entire supply chain, using filters including location, fields of operation, and product categories. You will find suppliers of GOTS certified fibre, yarn, fabric, and accessories, as well as wet processors. You can also look up suppliers of GOTS approved chemical inputs (dyes, chemicals, inks, enzymes, dyeing / finishing auxiliaries) in the GOTS Approved Chemical List.
If you want to become GOTS certified, find details of the process here.
