Global Standard Touts Sustainability Progress in Annual Report
Global Standard, the nonprofit behind the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), increased its certified textile facilities globally by more than 5 percent last year, according to its 2024 annual report.
The report outlines the organization's progress on sustainability issues across the global textile industry. The increase in GOTS-certified facilities—which must meet strict environmental and social criteria—brings the organization's total of approved operations to 15,441 across 87 countries.
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That criteria—dubbed GOTS version 7.0—was introduced in 2023 and fully implemented in March 2024. The rollout included online training to assist GOTS-certified entities with due diligence requirements, including a comprehensive handbook for auditors released in November 2024.
Global Standard has since set up a 25-member standard revision committee for GOTS version 8.0, which is currently in its first public consultation phase. This edition of the standard will include provisions on the circular economy, mitigation of climate change-related issues that affect the well-being of workers and additional improvements to due diligence criteria.
And for the first time in its existence, Global Standard expanded its mission beyond a single standard to become a voluntary sustainability standard setter. This move aims to allow the textile industry to apply the GOTS framework to other sustainable fibers. Following ISEAL Alliance credibility principles, the new standards will be released for public comment in 2025.
'By building on the success and value of GOTS, we aim to strengthen Global Standard's impact, support diverse sustainability challenges and empower stakeholders across global value chains,' said Rahul Bhajekar, managing director of Global Standard.
The report also outlined the results of Global Standard's Satellite Cotton Monitoring Project, conducted in India in partnership with the European Space Agency and AI firm Marple. The project produced a 97 percent accuracy rate in detecting cotton fields and more than 80 percent accuracy in determining their organic status. The program aims to increase organic cotton availability by facilitating the organic certification process for farms.
Global Standard also reported that its #BehindTheSeams campaign—which launched last year in conjunction with the Organic Cotton Accelerator to help boost organic fiber production—reached more than 70 million people worldwide, with 265 GOTS brands participating. The consumer outreach and educational program held during September 2024 engaged people with games, giveaways and more designed to increase public awareness of the importance of organics.
Global Standard managing director Claudia Kersten said that the organization's gains in 2024 build on their ongoing mission to improve the sustainability of the global textile industry.
'The necessity of our work was compounded in 2024 due to evolving regulations concerning value chains around the world, especially in Europe,' said Claudia Kersten, managing director of Global Standard. 'Already central to driving impact and progress, voluntary sustainability standards are now emerging as strategic tools for compliance—underscoring their evolving role in leading sustainable transformation. Whether it is human rights due diligence or using the latest technology to strengthen integrity, Global Standard and its experts remain at the forefront.'
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