GOTS Certification
GOTS — the Global Organic Textile Standard — is the most rigorous organic certification in textiles. Here's what it actually covers and why it matters for the socks on your feet.
What GOTS certifies
A garment can only carry the GOTS label if every step of its production meets the standard — from the cotton seed in the ground to the finished sock in our warehouse. That includes:
- Organic farming (no synthetic pesticides, no GMO seeds, healthy soil practices).
- Approved chemical inputs only — no heavy metals, no AZO dyes, no formaldehyde.
- Wastewater treatment at every dye and finishing facility.
- Social criteria: safe workplaces, no child labour, no forced labour, freedom of association, living wages.
- Annual audits by an independent certifier (in our case, GOTS-approved bodies under IOAS oversight).
"Organic cotton" vs. "GOTS organic"
A product can claim "organic cotton" if the raw fibre was grown organically — but nothing else along the chain has to be. GOTS covers the whole chain: farming, ginning, spinning, knitting, dyeing, finishing, packaging, labelling. If any step breaks the standard, the certificate is pulled.
Two GOTS labels
You'll sometimes see "organic" (≥95% certified fibre) and "made with organic" (≥70%). All of our socks carry the higher "organic" grade.
Our certificate
Our knitting partner's GOTS certificate is renewed annually. We're happy to share the current copy on request — write to shop@opiandmax.com.
Why it costs more
Organic cotton yields are lower per hectare. Certified mills cost more to run. Independent audits aren't free. We pay all of that because cutting corners on any one of them undoes the rest.
Learn more
For the full standard, the official source is global-standard.org.