Marcus Bruegel, Technical Director, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) has quit and Rahul Bhajekar has been appointed his successor. Bhajekar will be responsible for further development and quality assurance of GOTS, including environmental and social aspects. He has more than 21 years of experience in textile testing and chemical restrictions, as well as in implementation of GOTS with manufacturers, processors and chemical companies. Rahul has been familiar with GOTS since 2005 and served as a member of the GOTS Technical Committee for several years.

Marcus was with GOTS from the start and has contributed tremendously to its growth and stature. His role in the successful establishment of GOTS as a globally recognised label has been exemplary. As the stringent voluntary global standard body, GOTS is recognized to ensure the organic status of textiles for the entire post-harvest processing (including spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing) of apparel and home textiles made with organic fiber. Key provisions include a ban on the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), highly hazardous chemicals (such as azo dyes and formaldehyde), and child labour, while requiring strong social compliance management systems and strict waste water treatment practices.

Meanwhile the number of GOTS certified facilities have continued to increase. The number of facilities certified by GOTS grew from 3,663 facilities in 2014 to 3,814 facilities in 2015. GOTS certified facilities are now located in 68 countries around the world. India leads the countries with the largest increase in GOTS certification in 2015. India has 1,441 GOTS certified facilities, Turkey 489, Germany 306, Bangladesh 210, China 201, Pakistan 142, Italy 141 among others.