The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme’s newest Accepted Certification Standard.
The ZDHC Foundation—which is working toward zero discharge of hazardous chemicals in the footwear, leather and textile value chains—added GOTS as one of its certification standards, bringing GOTS approved chemical products in line with ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List’s (MRSL’s) Level 1—meaning these chemical products conform with ZDHC’s MRSL Level 1 environmental regulations.
Rather than develop its own certification system for MRSL conformant chemistry, ZDHC decided to leverage existing certification bodies, including GOTS, as indicators of ZDHC MRSL performance. ZDHC said it made this move to advance the worldwide impact of its sustainability efforts, while enabling chemical companies to use existing certification bodies as benchmarks toward zero discharge of hazardous chemicals.
GOTS will join other existing certification bodies, including BLC Chem-MAP, Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex and ToxServices Full Materials Disclosure (ToxFMD), as ZDHC Accepted MRSL Conformance Certification Standards. Moving forward, GOTS ensured formulations will conform with ZDHC MRSL’s Level 1 regulations and their approved chemical products will be checked and ranked within the ZDHC Gateway-Chemical Module—a compatible ZDHC data exchange platform that allows chemical formulators to share chemical information with footwear, leather and textile suppliers that adheres to ZDHC’s regulations.
[Read more about ZDHC’s compliance efforts: ZDHC Introduces New Conformance Guidance for Chemical Use]
“Our community of ZDHC Accepted MRSL Conformance Certification Standards is growing, and we are happy to have the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) on board,” ZDHC program director Scott Echols said. ”To date more than 500 chemical suppliers dyestuffs and chemicals have been assessed by GOTS already and more than 15,000 trade names of colorants and auxiliaries have been listed as approved.”
ZDHC’s acceptance of GOTS follows the sustainability program’s additional measures to streamline chemical compliance. In September, ZDHC approved Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex—which evaluates a broad range of chemicals in a secure two-step process that insures formulations adhere to regulatory compliance regulations—as one of its certification standards. By tapping existing certification bodies as indicators of MRSL conformance, ZDHC can take the steps to remove hazardous chemicals from product production processes and enable chemical suppliers to make the move to a more circular economy.