GOTS vs OEKO-TEX: which certification does your knitwear need?

If you're sourcing knitwear, two acronyms come up again and again: GOTS and OEKO-TEX. Retailers ask for them, marketplaces require them, and conscious shoppers look for them. But they prove different things — and picking the wrong one wastes money. Here's the plain-English version.

OEKO-TEX Standard 100: “tested for harmful substances”

OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certifies that the finished fabric (and trims) have been tested and found free from a long list of harmful chemicals. It's about safety— what's in the cloth touching skin. It does notsay anything about whether the cotton is organic or how the garment was made socially or environmentally. It's the baseline most serious buyers expect.

GOTS: “certified organic, end to end”

GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) is far broader. It certifies that the fibre is organically grown andthat the entire chain — spinning, knitting, dyeing, finishing — meets strict environmental and social criteria, with full traceability. If you want to make a genuine “organic cotton” claim on your label, you generally need GOTS.

Which one do you need?

• Basic safety / mass market: OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is usually enough.
• Organic claim, premium / EU retail: you'll want GOTS.
• Kidswear & baby: buyers increasingly expect GOTS plus child-safe trims.
• Recycled content: look at GRS (Global Recycled Standard) alongside these.

A buying-office reality check

Certifications belong to mills and factories, not to brands or buying offices. The practical question is whether your sourcing partner can place your order in units that genuinely hold the certificate your market needs — and prove it with a scope certificate and transaction documents.

At Algostairs we match each program to partner units carrying the right standards — GOTS, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, SEDEX, BSCI or GRS — so your finished goods can carry the claims your buyers ask for.