"Responsible" and "sustainable" get printed on a lot of hang tags with very little behind them. OEKO-TEX and GOTS are two of the certifications that actually mean something specific, and worth understanding before taking any supplier's word for it.

OEKO-TEX: what's not in the fabric

OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certifies that a finished textile has been independently tested for harmful substances, things like certain dyes, formaldehyde and heavy metals, against limits that are often stricter than local regulations. It's a test of the finished product, not a claim about how it was made. In practice, it's the certification most directly relevant to what actually touches skin.

Every OEKO-TEX certified product carries a specific certificate number that can be checked against the OEKO-TEX public database. If a supplier can't produce that number, the claim isn't verifiable.

GOTS: how the fibre was grown and processed

The Global Organic Textile Standard goes further back in the supply chain. It certifies that a textile is made from organically grown fibre, tracked through every stage, spinning, dyeing, manufacturing, with restrictions on chemical inputs and requirements around labour practices at each stage. Where OEKO-TEX tests the finished product, GOTS certifies the entire chain that produced it.

OEKO-TEX asks what's in the finished fabric. GOTS asks how the fibre got there in the first place. They're answering different questions.

Why both matter, and why one without the other isn't the full picture

A fabric can be OEKO-TEX certified without being organic, plenty of conventional cotton passes OEKO-TEX testing cleanly. And a fabric can be organically grown without being OEKO-TEX certified if a later processing stage isn't tested. Understanding which certification is being claimed, and what it actually covers, matters more than the general word "sustainable" printed next to it.

Questions worth asking any supplier claiming to be responsible

  • Which specific certification, and can you provide the certificate number? A named, checkable certification is verifiable. A general sustainability claim is not.
  • Does the certification cover the fabric, the finished garment, or both? These aren't always the same scope.
  • Is the certification current? Certifications are renewed on a cycle and can lapse.

Where this fits into how we work

We work with OEKO-TEX certified materials as a baseline and use GOTS-certified organic fibres where a project calls for it, alongside a supply network built on long-term relationships with ateliers we've worked with for years, many of them women-led businesses in Istanbul. Certifications verify the material. The relationship is what keeps standards consistent between orders.

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See how we source and verify certified materials for production.