GOTS has just published its 2021 Annual Report, reaching 5 figures for the first time: 10,388 GOTS certified facilities in 2020, an increase of 34% with more than 3 million workers in 72 countries.
Key highlights include:
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+34% in GOTS certified operators to more than 10,300 worldwide
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More than 4 million workers in GOTS certified facilities – all benefitting from the social standards (based on ILO norms) included in GOTS
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UK is now 13th in the GOTS global league table of the number of operators (slipped from 10th on previous year)
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Soil Association reported that sales by their certified operators grew +9% to £49.5 million
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UK has one-tenth of the number of GOTS certified operators compared to Denmark, and one-quarter compared to Germany (allowing for differences in population)
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GOTS is a supporter of the UK Textiles 2030 initiative, more retailers are reporting using organic fibres (one of the improvement actions in Textiles 2030)
Significant increases are seen in all regions. Top 10 countries for certified facilities are India (2,994), Bangladesh (1,584), Turkey (1,107), China (961), Germany (684), Italy (585), Portugal (449), Pakistan (391), USA (167) and Sri Lanka (126).
“The exceptional increase in this unprecedented year shows that decision makers value GOTS as an important tool to drive sustainable transformation in a comprehensive way – from field to fashion. Using organic fibres and processing them under strict GOTS criteria definitely provides a credible and strong base for market players to be successful in the future”says GOTS Managing Director Claudia Kersten.
Whilst the increase in operators shows promising growth and demand, more is needed to educate the consumer on the exacting standards that underpin GOTS certification.
The UK government’s Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP) launched a new voluntary agreement, supported by GOTS – Textiles 2030. This sets new ambitions to reduce the environmental footprint of clothing, GOTS certified organic textile products can play a part in achieving these targets.
You can download the GOTS Annual Report here.
In 2020 GOTS established a new partnership with the OTB to raise awareness and grow sales of GOTS certified products and will be holding a roundtable seminar on Thursday 25 November to discuss how to raise the profile of GOTS certified products.
If you would like to book a place, please email Annie Seeley.
