- Soil Association
- Certification
- Fashion and textiles
- How to get certified
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How to get certified
Everything you need to know about organic textiles certification
Find the information you need:
Who needs GOTS certification?
To use the GOTS logo or make reference to GOTS in relation to your products, certification is required.
All businesses in your supply chain need to hold GOTS certification, from ginners, graders and scouring, through to traders, wholesalers and retailers. If you are a first processor you must have checks to ensure you are bringing certified organic fibres into the supply chain.
To use the GOTS logo or make reference to GOTS in relation to your products, certification is required. The exception to mandatory certification is for retailers who can sell finished GOTS goods using their supplier’s certification if they have a retailer declaration in place.
Where can you certify?
We can certify to the Global Organic Textile Standard in any of the following countries:
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Germany
- Greece
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Slovakia
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
Unfortunately, if you are outside of these countries you will not be able to certify with us at this time.
How to get GOTS certified
Application timescales
The certification process takes approximately:
- 8-12 weeks for UK-based companies
- 12-16 weeks for countries outside of the UK
Application process
Find information on the cost of GOTS certification on our Fee Sheets page.
If you are interested in applying for GOTS certification, we will send you an application pack.
Book in a chat with one of our friendly and knowledgeable certification team if you have any questions via our certification enquiry form.
What to expect after submitting your application form and contract
- You will be invoiced for the application process and one full year of certification.
- When this is paid, you will be assigned a personal Certification Officer, who will help you prepare for your application inspection, explain the GOTS requirements in relation to your operations and answer any questions you may have
- Once you’ve had an inspection, you will have two months to evidence any actions raised at the audit. Once all these actions have been approved we will issue your GOTS scope certificate.
- Throughout your contract with us, you will receive continued support from your Certification Officer so that you can sell your products and services as organic. You will also be welcomed by our Business Development team to make the most of the additional benefits of certifying with us.
What you need to get your GOTS certification
Here is a list of everything you need to submit:
- Scope Certificates and Transaction Certificates (only if you have your GOTS suppliers prior to your application)
- Environmental Policy
- Social Compliance Policy
- Due Diligence Procedures
- Product, label, and packaging approval forms
- Technical quality and chemical residue risk assessments or testing plans
Once you have submitted your application, our certification team can help with anything you need to do ahead of your application inspection, and will explain each requirement at your welcome call.
Find more information on the GOTS standard and Conditions for the Use of GOTS Signs and the GOTS Manual for Implementation.
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Apply for organic certification
To apply, or to find out more about the certification process, please contact us by completing our enquiry form.
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