Leading organisations partner to provide organic textile labelling

The Global Organic Textile Standard, Organic Trade Association, and Textile Exchange coordinating to provide the industry with guidance on textile labeling webinar that contain organic material for sale in the US.

In this free webinar, participants will learn more about US regulations for organic textile labelling, different kinds of organic claims, and how the Organic Content Standard (OCS) and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) can be used to help support labelling organic textiles.

Government regulation on the labelling of organic textiles falls under the Federal Trade Commission’s truth in advertising guidelines and the definition of organic as presented in the US Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program. However, there remains confusion about labelling language and how brands can provide verification of compliance.

The Organic Trade Association’s Vice President of Regulatory & Technical Affairs, Gwendolyn Wyard will explain the US regulations for organic labelling with a focus on textiles. Lori Wyman, the GOTS North American Representative, will speak about GOTS and the claims allowed for GOTS certified organic products. Textile Exchange’s Ashley Gill, Integrity Specialist, will cover the OCS and raw material content claims.

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is a leading textile processing standard for organic fibres, including ecological and social criteria, backed up by independent certification of the entire textile supply chain. The aim of the standard is to define worldwide-recognized requirements that ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labeling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer.

Textile Exchange (TE), is a non-profit organisation that works closely with all sectors of the textile supply chain to find the best ways to minimise and even reverse the negative impacts on water, soil, air, animals, and the human population. TE accomplishes this by providing the knowledge and tools the industry needs to make significant improvements in three core areas: Fiber and Materials, Integrity and Standards, and Supply Chain.

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers’ associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 9,500 organic businesses across 50 states.

Any company with product sold in the United States or that is planning to begin sales in the US is invited to attend the webinar, which will take place two times on 11 April, to allow attendees from Europe, Asia, and North America to take part.