Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) recently hosted a popular round table for the textile sector in the US. GOTS is the stringent voluntary global standard for the entire post-harvest processing (including spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing) of apparel and home textiles made with organic fiber and includes both environmental and social criteria.

GOTS round tables take place all over the globe to connect stakeholders and help with opportunities and provide feedback to GOTS on specific sectoral or regional needs. In May 2011, the United States Department of Agriculture formally recognised GOTS certification supporting the proper labeling of textiles sold as organic in the US.

GOTS certification enables consumers to purchase items that are third party certified organic from field to finished product. Bangladesh saw the highest increase in GOTS-certified facilities in 2017, amounting to 40 per cent.

There has been a 14 per cent increase in the number of chemicals on the GOTS Positive List, translating as more than 17,900 chemicals from 720 manufacturers. Over 1.74 million workers were employed in 19 GOTS-accredited independent certification bodies in 2017.

The top 10 countries with the highest number of GOTS-certified production units were: India, Bangladesh, Germany, Turkey, Italy, China, Pakistan, Portugal, USA and South Korea. India has a total of 1,658 GOTS-approved manufacturing facilities and has been the highest ranked GOTS country since 2008.