GOTS-Certified Brand vs. GOTS-Certified Product: How to Tell

A garment is GOTS certified only when that specific product carries the full GOTS label: the logo, a label grade, the name of the certification body, and the certified company's license number. A brand that holds a GOTS certificate, or that says it uses "GOTS cotton" or "GOTS-certified fabric," has not told you that the item in your cart is certified. Check the product listing, then check the number.

What people commonly assume

It's reasonable to see a GOTS logo somewhere on a brand's website and assume everything they sell is covered. Brands often talk about certification on an About page, and the wording sounds settled: "we use GOTS-certified organic cotton."

The standard itself draws a sharper line. GOTS says that only textile goods produced by a certified company and certified by an approved certifier may be labelled, advertised or sold as GOTS goods. It also says that for the end product to carry the label, every company in the processing chain must be certified. If certified fabric is sewn in an uncertified factory, the chain of custody is broken and the finished product is not considered certified.

Fiber, product and brand: three different claims

Fiber. GOTS doesn't certify farms. Organic fiber has to be certified under a recognized organic farming standard before it enters the GOTS chain. That's why GOTS calls "GOTS cotton" an incorrect claim: GOTS covers the processing of textiles made with organic fiber, not the raw cotton.

Brand or company. Certified companies hold a Scope Certificate that lists the product categories and the processing, manufacturing and trading activities they're certified for. A brand can have certified lines and uncertified lines side by side.

Product. For a product listing, GOTS's labelling guidance asks for the same four elements as a physical label: the logo, the correct label grade, a reference to the certification body, and the certification (license) number of the certified company. GOTS also asks that the logo appear only next to certified products, not in a site header or footer.

How to read the label grade

GOTS uses two label grades, and the percentages exclude accessories:

• "Organic" (or "Organic in-conversion"): at least 95% certified organic fiber.
• "Made with X% organic materials" (or "...organic in-conversion materials"): at least 70% certified organic fiber.

If a listing shows the logo with no grade, or a grade with no certifier or number, that's incomplete under GOTS's own rules. It's a reason to ask, not proof of anything.

How to check a GOTS license number

1. Find the full label. Look on the product page, hang tag or care label for the logo, grade, certification body and number. On a website, the logo can sit on the main page by itself, but GOTS says the full labelling information has to be available on the product listing page.
2. Note who is named. The number belongs to the certified company, which may be the brand or one of its suppliers. The certification body is the independent auditor that issued the certificate.
3. Search the GOTS Certified Suppliers Database. It's public and free on the Global Standards website. Search for the company and look at what's listed: its location, fields of operation and certified product categories.
4. Compare the product category. Does the listing cover what you're buying? A company certified for bed linen hasn't shown anything about underwear.
5. If you can't find it, ask. GOTS notes that certification bodies are still moving their data into the new database and suggests contacting the certification body if information is missing. A missing entry means "unconfirmed," not "fake." You can also ask the brand for a copy of the Scope Certificate, or for the Transaction Certificate that covers the goods. Transaction Certificates are how GOTS confirms that products moved through certified supply chains.

Why elastic, thread and trims don't have to be organic

This is a frequent source of confusion with underwear, bras and pajamas. GOTS treats items like elastic bands, sewing thread, labels, zippers, buttons, trims and padding for undergarments as accessories. They're excluded from the label-grade percentage, and GOTS allows them to be natural, regenerated or synthetic, as long as they meet its residue limits and avoid prohibited materials such as PVC, nickel and chromium.

GOTS also says that the processing of accessories is not under the direct scope of its on-site certification system. So a GOTS-certified bralette can have a synthetic elastic band and still be fully compliant.

Separately, the fabric itself can include a small share of non-organic fiber. Under GOTS version 8.1, for example, virgin elastane or polyamide is capped at 10% of the fiber composition, and recycled synthetics at 20% (30% for socks). An "Organic" grade product can have no more than 5% additional fiber in total. The standard's own table is the source of truth for exact limits.

What OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 covers, and what it doesn't

You'll often see OEKO-TEX next to, or instead of, GOTS. They answer different questions.

• What it is: a label for textiles tested for harmful substances against OEKO-TEX's criteria. OEKO-TEX says every component of a certified article, including thread, buttons and other accessories, is tested.
• Product classes: limits get stricter with more skin contact. Class 1 covers products for babies and children up to 3. Class 2 covers products with direct skin contact.
• How to check it: scan the QR code on the label, or enter the certificate number in OEKO-TEX's Label Check. Certificates are issued for one year, so an old number may have lapsed.
• What it doesn't tell you: STANDARD 100 isn't an organic-fiber certification. OEKO-TEX runs separate labels for that: ORGANIC COTTON, and MADE IN GREEN for traceable, more sustainable production. A STANDARD 100 label also applies to the certified article, not to everything a brand sells.

Neither label is a medical verdict. If PFAS is your specific concern, read our guide on how to avoid PFAS in clothing for how to weigh finish statements and certificates within their scope.

Copy-paste: what to email the brand

Hi! Before I buy [product name, link], could you confirm:

1. Is this specific item GOTS certified, and which label grade does it carry ("organic" or "made with X% organic")?
2. Which certification body certified it, and what's the license number?
3. Is this item also OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 certified? If so, what's the certificate number and product class?
4. What are the elastic, thread and trims made of?

Thanks so much!

A clear, specific answer is useful information. So is a vague one.

Key takeaways

• A GOTS logo on the brand's site isn't the same as a certified product. Look for the full label on the product listing.
• The four parts to check: logo, label grade, certification body and license number.
• "GOTS cotton" and "made with GOTS-certified fabric" are phrasings GOTS itself says aren't allowed.
• Elastic and trims can be synthetic on a certified item. That's how the standard works.
• OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 is harmful-substance testing of the certified article. It isn't an organic certification.

Limitations and uncertainty

A valid certificate tells you that a product was made under a standard's rules and audits. It isn't a lab result for the specific piece you buy. Database entries can lag, retailer listings can be wrong, and GOTS version 8.1 (released June 2026) becomes mandatory for audits from March 1, 2027, so some details may differ between certificates issued under version 7 and version 8.

Greener Closet scores products from what the listing discloses: fiber mix, listed certifications, and known properties of those materials. We count a certification only when it appears on that product's record, and we don't lab-test garments.

Put this to work while you shop

Start with the pieces that sit against skin longest. Our scored underwear list and scored pajamas list rank items by their disclosed materials. You can also paste any product link into the analyzer to see its material score, then use the steps above to confirm the certification yourself.

FAQ

How do I know if clothing is actually GOTS certified? Look for the full GOTS label on that product: logo, label grade ("organic" or "made with X% organic materials"), certification body and license number. Then look up the company in the GOTS Certified Suppliers Database.

Is a GOTS-certified brand the same as a GOTS-certified product? No. A company's Scope Certificate covers specific activities and product categories. Only products made in a fully certified chain and labelled correctly are GOTS goods.

What does "made with GOTS-certified cotton" mean? Not much on its own. GOTS says this kind of partial claim can't be presented as full product certification. Ask whether the finished item is certified.

Why does my GOTS underwear have synthetic elastic? GOTS treats elastic, thread and trims as accessories. They can be synthetic if they meet its residue limits, and they don't count toward the organic percentage.

Is OEKO-TEX better than GOTS? They measure different things. OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 tests the certified article for harmful substances. GOTS covers organic fiber content plus environmental, chemical and social criteria across processing. Some products carry both.