Bangladesh got the highest increase in GOTS-certified facilities in 2017, amounting to 40 per cent. North America and Portugal were both home to a 39 per cent rise, and there was an average increase of 29 per cent across Europe. This follows a significant increase in the figures from the year before, which saw a rise from 3,814 facilities in 2015 to 4,642 facilities in 2016.

The top 10 countries in terms of hosting 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.

The Global Organic Textile Standard saw the annual number of certified facilities increase to 5,024 in 2017, an 8.2 per cent increase on the same period in 2016. There has been a 14 per cent increase in the number of chemicals on the GOTS Positive List, translating to more than 17,900 chemicals from 720 manufacturers. Over 1.74 million workers were employed in 19 GOTS-accredited independent certification bodies in 2017.

Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest apparel exporter. The textile industry in Bangladesh has increased focus on sustainability now and many companies are now becoming eligible to become GOTS certified.