The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is the leading certifier of organic textiles around the world, and the top label to look for on an organic comforter. GOTS certifies that a product’s entire supply chain—from farm to finishes—is organic.
The standard was created twenty years ago in response to an increasingly global textile market. “Textiles travel the world a lot, and they have a really high carbon footprint,” Lori Wyman, a representative of GOTS North America, tells mindbodygreen. “Cotton could be grown in the U.S., shipped to Turkey to be spun into yarn, go somewhere else to be woven, and then end up back in the U.S. to be sold.”
By checking in on spinning facilities, knitters, dye houses, etc. every 1-3 years, GOTS auditors ensure that no potentially harmful chemicals were added anywhere in the process. There are also animal rights and fair trade elements to the GOTS standard, which you can read in full here.
As consumer demands grow for organic and sustainable products, more companies seeking out GOTS certifications. Wyman notes that in the past six years alone, the number of certified companies has increased around fourfold.
Some other labels you might see on an organic comforter these days include OEKO-TEX 100 (certifies it has been tested for substances that could harm human health) and Fairtrade (certifies it was created by people who were paid a living wage and working in safe conditions).
