You are looking for beautiful sustainable clothing, but do not know exactly what to look for now and can no longer see the forest through all the (greenwashing) trees. Which is better? Clothing made of OEKO TEX cotton or clothing made of GOTS certified cotton. I will try to give some more clarity in this blog.
As sustainable as possible, but stylish. That’s my mission. When producing my own label, one of the conditions that I have always set (and have not deviated from) was that the materials we use are produced as sustainably as possible, with respect for both people and nature. This means that we only use sustainable fabrics (recycled, linen, bamboo, Tencel, EcoVero) for our clothing and therefore only use GOTS certified cotton. But what exactly does this mean? And what is the difference with cotton with Oeko Tex certificate?
OEKO-TEX
First, let’s take a look at the Oeko-tex quality mark that you see a lot in clothing nowadays and that is often claimed to be sustainable. The Oeko-tex quality mark is a quality mark for textiles and sets strict requirements with regard to residues of heavy metals, harmful dyes and pesticides. In order to obtain this quality mark, no harmful substances must be present in the end product. This is of course a good thing, because you obviously prefer not to wear clothes with toxic substances and for your child (s) you certainly do not want that! But this quality mark only guarantees that no toxic substances are present in the end product and it therefore says nothing about the conditions under which the product is made and also nothing about the burden on the environment. If an item has the Oeko-tex quality mark, this does not mean that it is organic.
GOTS
GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) is an international quality mark that assesses whether textiles are produced in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. This involves looking at the total process. From harvesting the raw materials to processing to wire and dust. Strict rules and guidelines apply to the GOTS quality mark. Companies are audited annually by independent auditors. Among other things, the following environmental aspects are considered:
- no use of fertilizers and chemical pesticides in cotton cultivation
- less consumption of water and energy
- reduced greenhouse gas emissions
- no use of harmful chemicals when dyeing the substance
In addition to the aforementioned environmental aspects, the working conditions under which the fabrics are made are also (very importantly) looked at. Such as a ban on child labour, a minimum wage and working in a safe and hygienic working environment.
If you want to go all-in and fully immerse yourself in the GOTS quality mark, check the official GOTS website or a short video that explains exactly what the GOTS quality mark entails.
The difference between Oeko-tex and GOTS
For both quality marks, the end product, the substance, is therefore tested for the presence of toxic substances and dangerous chemicals. With both, the fabric is therefore safe to wear (note: substances without one of these two quality marks can therefore contain harmful substances and chemicals that you would rather not come into contact with your skin or the skin of your child). However, for the GOTS quality mark, we look at the entire production process, from start to finish, with strict requirements for the impact on the environment and the working conditions under which the substance is produced.
The above is therefore a reason for me to only choose GOTS certified cotton for the production of our clothing. Because although I think it is very important that the end product does not contain harmful substances, I attach just as much importance to a minimal impact on the environment, that everyone has been treated and paid fairly throughout the production line and I want to make sure that there are no children’s hands involved in making the fabrics that we use. In addition, our own collection is also produced in the Netherlands by a small family business, so that we can be sure that this is done under the right conditions, everyone gets paid fairly and the impact on the environment, through local production, is minimal. View our collection of sustainable women’s clothing and children’s clothing here .
