Textile certifications are independent schemes that check a fabric or garment against published rules, covering either chemical safety, organic fibres, working conditions or a mix. Each label answers a different question, so the name matters.
They sit inside the wider topic of sustainable fashion, where labels are one of the few ways a shopper can check a claim.
What a textile certification actually is
A certification is not a promise from the brand. It is a rulebook owned by a separate organisation, plus a check, usually by an outside body, that a company follows it. The label on the garment then says which rulebook was checked, and the scope of that rulebook is the whole story: a label can cover the raw fibre, the dyeing and finishing, the factory conditions, the final product, or only some of these.
The European Union now sets a legal frame around this. In its Empowering Consumers directive, a certification scheme is defined as a third-party verification scheme whose terms are publicly available, and Member States must apply the national rules from 27 September 2026. The same text adds an entry to the list of banned unfair practices: displaying a sustainability label that is not based on a certification scheme or not established by public authorities. In plain terms, a self-made green badge is no longer a safe way to market a product in the EU.
This is general information on how labels work, not legal advice for a business that sells in the EU.
GOTS: the organic textile standard
The Global Organic Textile Standard, known as GOTS, is a standard for textiles made with organic fibres. According to the GOTS website, it combines environmental and social requirements with independent certification across the textile processing supply chain, and it starts where organic farming ends.
That last point is easy to miss. GOTS does not certify the farm. The organic status of the fibre is established under farming rules, and GOTS takes over from the point of fibre processing, then follows spinning, wet processing, manufacturing and trading. To sell a product as GOTS-certified, every company involved in processing it must be certified by an approved independent certification body, which creates one traceable chain from fibre processing to the finished item.
The scheme lists its requirements as certified organic fibres, chemical inputs and environmental management, wastewater treatment, human rights and due diligence criteria, and traceability with documented product flow. It also requires annual on-site audits of certified facilities. The fibres covered include cotton, hemp, linen, jute, wool, cashmere, mohair, alpaca and silk, which makes GOTS a useful reference when reading about recycled polyester and other fibres that sit outside the organic category.
OEKO-TEX: safety, organic cotton and production sites
OEKO-TEX runs several separate labels, and mixing them up is a common mistake. They are best understood as a family with different jobs.
STANDARD 100: tested for harmful substances
The OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 page describes a label for textiles tested for harmful substances, and says every thread, button and accessory is tested against a list of over 1,000 harmful substances. It sorts products into four classes by how close they get to the skin, with the strictest requirements for products for babies and children up to 3 years. This is a product safety label. It does not on its own say anything about wages, factory conditions or the environmental footprint of the mill.
ORGANIC COTTON and STeP
The OEKO-TEX ORGANIC COTTON label can be given to materials made of 100% organic cotton, while a blended version covers products containing at least 70% organic cotton, and the scheme says conventional cotton cannot exceed 5%. Separately, OEKO-TEX STeP certifies a production site rather than a product, assessing it across 6 modules that include chemical management, environmental performance, social responsibility and health and safety.
MADE IN GREEN: the combined label
The MADE IN GREEN label joins the product and site layers. Its requirements say the product must be certified under STANDARD 100, ORGANIC COTTON or LEATHER STANDARD, and that making-up facilities must hold STeP certification. Each label carries a product ID or QR code that leads to the OEKO-TEX Label Check, which shows the production stages and the countries involved.
Fairtrade and other social labels
Environmental labels and social labels are not interchangeable. Fairtrade International says its standards set out requirements for farmer cooperatives, large farms or factories with a hired workforce, and companies that buy and sell Fairtrade products. Producers selling under the scheme can rely on a Fairtrade Minimum Price and receive a Fairtrade Premium to invest in projects of their choice, and compliance is checked through regular audits by an independent certification body.
For a shopper, the point is that Fairtrade is mainly a trade and livelihood scheme for the producer end of the chain, which is a different question from whether a finished shirt contains restricted chemicals. Other social schemes exist, such as company-level certifications and factory audit programmes, and the same test applies to each one: who wrote the rules, who checks them, and what exactly is covered.
How the main labels compare
| Label | What it looks at | Level checked |
|---|---|---|
| GOTS | Organic fibre content, chemicals, wastewater and social criteria in processing | Every processing company in the chain |
| OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 | Harmful substances in the finished article | Product and components |
| OEKO-TEX STeP | Chemical management, environment, social and safety practices | Production site |
| OEKO-TEX MADE IN GREEN | Safe product made in certified sites, with traceability | Product and site |
| Fairtrade | Minimum prices, premiums and labour requirements | Producers and traders |
The table summarises the scheme descriptions published by GOTS and OEKO-TEX.
Reading labels sensibly
A few habits make labels more useful. First, find the exact name and scope: “organic” on a hangtag is a claim, while a named scheme with a verifiable certificate is evidence. OEKO-TEX offers a Label Check where the certificate number or QR code can be entered to confirm validity. Second, remember that no label measures everything. A chemically safe garment can still be a fast-fashion item with a heavy footprint, a point developed in the guide to fast fashion environmental impact.
It also helps to separate product labels from facility labels. A product label tells a shopper something about the item in hand, such as its chemical safety. A facility or supply chain label tells them about the conditions in which it was made, and it may not follow the finished garment to the shop floor unless a product-level link, like a QR code, exists. Labels that join both layers are more informative, but they are also harder to earn, which is why many perfectly responsible small producers carry none of them.
Third, notice what a label does not say. It rarely covers how long a garment lasts, how it is cared for or what happens at the end of its life. Certifications are a tool for narrowing choices, not a replacement for buying less and wearing things longer.
Frequently asked questions
Is OEKO-TEX the same as organic?
No. STANDARD 100 tests the finished product for harmful substances and says nothing about how the fibre was grown. The separate ORGANIC COTTON label addresses organic status for cotton materials.
Does GOTS certify the farm?
No. The scheme describes itself as starting where organic farming ends and covering processing from fibre through to trading.
Can a brand use any green logo it likes in the EU?
Not freely. Under the Empowering Consumers directive, displaying a sustainability label that is not based on a certification scheme or not established by public authorities is on the list of banned practices. This is general information, not legal advice.
How can a shopper check a label is genuine?
Look for the scheme name and a certificate or ID. OEKO-TEX labels, for example, can be checked by scanning the QR code or entering the certificate number in its Label Check.
