Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS):
GOTS Pre-Conference to IFOAM Organic World Congress - Spots on Social Compliance
Sumit Gupta
GOTS Representative in India
For Immediate Release
New Delhi, (21th November, 2017)
GOTS Pre-Conference to 19th Organic World Congress of IFOAM - Organics International was organized by GOTS in India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India on 8th November, 2017. This conference was first of its kind, solely focused on ‘Social Compliance Issues in the Organic Textile Supply Chain’. Actually the GOTS accredited independent Certification Bodies report more than 1.4 million people working in GOTS certified facilities.
More than 80 high profile attendees and speakers from twelve countries - including Scholars, CSR Managers and HR Representatives of companies, Certification Bodies, Standard Setters, Government and NGOs discussed about hot spots like Income Equality within countries and globally, Land Grabbing, dealing with non-compliances or how certification as a diagnostic tool could be supplemented by instruments or measures which provide a measurable continuous improvement process.
Three main outcomes were agreed to put to larger scale in presenting them in Track 7.A of the 19th Organic World Congress (OWC) by the GOTS Representatives Christopher Stopes and Satoko Miyoshi:
- Social criteria in sustainability standards help improving working conditions. Improve standards with measurable criteria and keep inspection/certification as a diagnostic tool.
- In addition or – if possible – in combination find and apply suitable aspirational approaches and tools.
- Find and apply efficient means to draw the big brands and retailers into utilizing their responsibility for sustainability of the textile industry.
Dr. Elisabeth Bennett, Assistant Professor of International Affairs from Lewis & Clark College (Portland, Oregon, US) said: "The GOTS Pre-conference offered an important opportunity for supply chain actors, scholars, and sustainability advocates to discuss the most challenging problems and important opportunities in sustainability certifications for textile manufacturers. Perhaps most importantly, there was a robust discussion about the value of offering living wages to factory workers."
"The inclusion of social compliance rules into voluntary sustainability standards with their system of inspection and certification – such as GOTS - is still and will remain a valuable contribution to safeguarding the rights of working people. We are pleased that our stakeholders very openly shared their views and suggestions for the further development of GOTS" Herbert Ladwig, GOTS Managing director said.
Please find the detailed post conference report here and download high resolution pictures here.
ABOUT GOTS: GOTS is the stringent voluntary global standard for the entire post-harvest processing (including spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing) of apparel and home textiles made with organic fibre (such as organic cotton and organic wool), and includes both environmental and social criteria. 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. GOTS was developed by leading international standard setters - Organic Trade Association (U.S.), Japan Organic Cotton Association, International Association Natural Textile Industry (Germany), and Soil Association (UK) - in order to define globally-recognized requirements that ensure the organic status of textiles. For more information on the Global Organic Textile Standard, please see www.global-standard.org
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GOTS
Global Organic Textile Standard
