Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) has started the second public consultation period for its Version 7.0 revision, which will be ending on 31 October.
The revised draft has incorporated input from contributors along with members of the Standard Revision Committee (SRC), a group of experts convened by GOTS to oversee the revision.
GOTS is stringent voluntary global standard for the entire post-harvest processing (including spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing) of apparel and home textiles made with certified organic fibres (such as organic cotton and organic wool), and includes both environmental and social criteria. The first comment period, which ended in April, elicited 335 individual comments. Each comment was recorded and deliberated, and all changes have been logged and made available to the public on the GOTS website.
During this second comment period, new topics will not be considered, but comments and input on decisions taken during the first comment period are encouraged.
The responses received in this comment period will be deliberated by the SRC through December 2022, and a final edition of GOTS Version 7.0 will be released in March 2023. For certified entities, full implementation of Version 7.0 begins in March 2024.
Rahul Bhajekar, MD, GOTS, said “Each revision of the GOTS Standard builds upon the previous one, becoming stronger with each version. We cannot achieve that kind of progress on our own. Public participation is an essential part of the transparency and inclusion of the revision process, and we hope that all interested parties take the time to contribute during this critical second round of comments.”
