GOTS and OEKO-TEX: Essential EU Textile Sustainability Certifications

EU textile buyers have converged on two primary sustainability certification standards: GOTS for organic fibre textiles, and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 for tested-harmless textiles of any fibre composition. Understanding which standard your EU buyer requires is the first step to unlocking EU market access.

GOTS — Global Organic Textile Standard: GOTS certifies textiles made from organic natural fibres covering the entire supply chain from ginning through spinning, weaving, dyeing, and final product manufacturing. Two GOTS tiers: organic (95%+ certified organic fibres) and made with organic materials (70%+ organic fibres). GOTS prohibits formaldehyde, azo dyes cleaving to carcinogenic amines, heavy metals, and PVC. GOTS also requires social criteria: ILO core conventions, no forced or child labour, minimum wage compliance. Certification cost: approximately INR 80,000-200,000 per year depending on facility size.

OEKO-TEX Standard 100: Tests the final textile product for harmful substances regardless of fibre type — banned azo colourants, formaldehyde, heavy metals, pesticides, and skin-sensitising dyes. Unlike GOTS, OEKO-TEX 100 covers synthetic as well as natural fibre textiles. Cost: approximately INR 15,000-50,000 per article type depending on product class. Certificate valid 12 months.

Which do you need? GOTS: required by EU organic clothing brands — mandatory for any product labelled organic in EU. OEKO-TEX 100: required by most EU mid-market and premium retailers (H&M, IKEA, Lidl, Marks and Spencer) as baseline consumer safety assurance. Many EU buyers require both: GOTS for their organic range and OEKO-TEX 100 for their conventional range.