New testing from Oeko-Tex helps companies throughout the global supply chain easily test their organic cotton products for GMOs (genetically modified organisms), a molecular-level indicator of whether or not cotton products actually meet a fundamental definition of organic.

Consumers expect the organic products they buy to be genuine and verifiable as such. Manufacturers have to be confident that organic cotton products are not contaminated with non-organic cotton.

Today, about 70 per cent of cotton globally is genetically altered. For example, some forms of cotton have been engineered to be herbicide-resistant. Others have been infused with an insecticide to kill pests like boll weevils.

New GMO testing gives manufacturers and marketers the confidence that their organic cotton products meet regulatory and consumer expectations with regards to GMOs as well as the independent, traceable documentation to prove it.

To qualify as organic and to be marketed as such, cotton must meet a comprehensive list of criteria governing the cultivation, processing, and segregation.