FUSH

Did you know that even a GOTS-labeled product won’t be marked as organic in certain cases?

Yes, it’s true. Only a 95% certified organic fibre product can carry the GOTS label “organic”. Everything from 70% and under 95% will be labelled “made with organic”.

We already spoke about GOTS’ emphasis on traceability. So not only does the full supply chain of a GOTS-certified product have to be traceable and certified, but the strictness of the GOTS framework is equal for all types of companies involved.

Every single one has to fulfil the standards for human rights and the protection of the environment. Even the traders.

Adhering to the social and ecological rules of the Global Organic Textile Standard doesn’t end with a successfully passed audit.

Every certified company must carry out an ongoing risk assessment process to recognize a potential breach in the GOTS rules to mitigate it.

There are six steps a company must take to asses risks at the workplace:

Step One - Embedding due diligence into policies and management systems
Step Two - Identifying actual or potential adverse impacts
Step Three - Ceasing, preventing, or mitigating adverse impacts
Step Four - Tracking implementation and results
Step Five - Communicating how impacts are addressed
Step Six - Enabling remediation when appropriate

Find more information in the GOTS Due Diligence Handbook for Certified Entities, available for free on the GOTS website.

The Global Organic Textile Standard, which FUSH has a certificate for, is stringent when it comes to pesticides and GMOs. Here’s an excerpt from their Organic Fibres page:

What are organic fibres?

Sustainable: Organic fibres are derived from organic agriculture, a regulated and certified method for sustainable land management. Organic is the only legislated standard for environmentally friendly agriculture, and it is a proven method to contribute to sustainability goals.

Plant or animal-based: Organic fibres can be plant-based, such as cotton, linen, or h**p, or animal-based, such as wool, silk or cashmere.

Free of toxic chemicals: Organic fibre production prohibits the use of harmful pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilisers, all of which have been proven to negatively impact ecosystems and/or human health.

Non-GMO: The use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) is prohibited in organic agriculture. This is due to the potential and demonstrated adverse effects on human and ecosystem health associated with GMOs. Organic fibres are thus derived from agricultural systems that promote biodiversity and support ecosystem functions.

As we mentioned in the last post, water conservation is an extremely important aspect of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).

Here’s what GOTS-certified facilities must report on, according to Version 2.0 of GOTS Monitor (Water/Energy):

1. Data on energy and water consumption per kg of textile output
2. Targets and procedures to reduce energy and water consumption per kg of textile output

This is a fragment of the steps companies under the GOTS wing must take to ensure and a zero-tolerance approach to pollution.

As a certificate that guarantees the genuine organic origin of GOTS-labelled clothing, the Global Organic Textile Standard audit has incredibly strict environmental criteria.

It restricts the use of harmful chemicals akin to some certificates specialized in that particular field. In addition to that, it requires that a certified company actively invests in green technologies as well as use resources responsibly. That’s why rainwater is an extremely important factor in organic cotton farms.

The more you learn about GOTS, the more you realize it’s an all-encompassing standard.

requests that the audited companies have the highest safety and hygienic conditions in the workplace. In addition to already strict human rights requests.

This makes GOTS certification a great option for an ethical business because it encompasses so many critical aspects under one certificate:

• Social responsibliity
• Health and safety in the workplace
• Environmental management
• Prohibition of hazardous substances and GMO products
• Traceability of the organic product

How does Global Organic Textile Standard ensure that the GOTS label ends up on the right piece of clothing?

By having rigorous traceability requirements.

Every company involved in the making of an organic product must be in the database of certified suppliers. From cotton farmers to traders. Otherwise, no GOTS label for that organic product.

(GOTS) certification social criteria are so strict that they're on par with well-known social responsibility audits like SMETA and BSCI.

So not only can we now supply our clients with GOTS-labelled organic cotton collections, but we also have another way to show that our is at the highest standard.

What ensures human rights will be respected at a -certified company?

It’s the third party certification bodies that assess each aspect of an audited site according to the very rigorous evaluations. They carry out employee interviews, document reviews and other processes that ensure the working environment is safe, respectable, and free from any form of abuse.

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Did you know that FUSH˚ is GOTS certified?

This means that your brand can showcase organic clothing with GOTS inside labels and hangtags.
And that label is much more than the best proof of genuine organic origin.

It’s proof of the highest standard of throughout the supply chain, from cotton farming to product assembly.

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