“Organic” on a tee can mean several different things, and the wording you use has to match the certificate you actually hold. The three names you will hear most are GOTS, OCS and USDA organic. They cover different parts of the chain, and a supplier who says the product is “certified organic” may mean any of them.

GOTS

The Global Organic Textile Standard describes itself as a certification for textiles made with organic fibres, covering every step from fibre processing and spinning to wet processing, manufacturing and trading. To label a product as GOTS-certified, all companies involved in its production must be certified by approved independent certification bodies. GOTS sets requirements for certified organic fibres, chemical inputs and environmental management, human rights and due diligence criteria, and traceability, with annual on-site audits.

GOTS version 8

GOTS Version 8.0 was released in March 2026 and a corrected version 8.1 followed on 22 June 2026. Its implementation deadline for certified entities is 1 March 2027, and audits on or after that date follow the new version. Ask each supplier which version it is audited against. GOTS says early adoption is allowed, so both versions may be in use during the transition.

OCS

Textile Exchange’s Organic Content Standard is a voluntary standard for third-party certification of organic materials and chain of custody. It lets companies verify and communicate the organically grown content of a product and is based on accepting only material from certified organic farms. It is about organic fibre content and tracing, not a full set of rules for chemicals or social criteria.

GOTS label grades

Under GOTS 8.0, a product with at least 95% certified fibre, excluding accessories, may be labelled “Organic”, and a product with at least 70% may say “Made with (x%) organic materials”. For retail goods, GOTS says a claim or reference to GOTS can only be made if the final product is certified and carries the complete and correct labelling.

What USDA says

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service explains that if the finished product is certified organic and produced in full compliance with the USDA organic regulations, it may be labelled certified organic and show the USDA seal. If all instances of specific fibres in the finished product are certified organic, the label may claim that those fibres are organic and give the percentage of organic fibre. Textiles that meet GOTS may be sold as organic in the US, but unless the product is certified to the USDA regulations, labels must not state or imply it is USDA organic or use the seal.

How to word the claim

Use wording that matches your documents, for example “made with 100% organic cotton, certified to GOTS,” and cite the certificate that covers each stage. Do not say “USDA organic” unless the finished product is certified. Remember that the FTC fibre content label under 16 CFR Part 303 is separate; the organic claim is extra information.

Check your paperwork

Ask each supplier in the chain for its certificate and, for GOTS, the transaction certificate for your lot. Check each against the certifier’s database.