OEKO-TEX vs GOTS: check what the certificate actually covers

01

Choose the question before choosing the logo

STANDARD 100’s scope and product classes relate to harmful-substance testing and intended use.[1] It is not an organic-content certification. GOTS covers a different system of organic textile processing and product-related requirements.[4] A material can require different evidence depending on the claim the buyer wants to make.

Start with the product brief: are you asking about tested substances, organic fiber and processing, or a specific retail label? Avoid asking the supplier simply for “an eco certificate.” That wording encourages a document collection without a defined decision.

This guide does not assert that Yuchen or any particular order holds either certification. It explains how a buyer can evaluate a supplied record before relying on it.

02

Read the complete certificate before using the lookup

Request a legible full document, including appendices that define the scope. Extract the certificate or license identifier, holder’s legal name, issuing body, validity information and product description. Match the holder with the supplier relationship rather than assuming a familiar trading name is the same entity.

Use OEKO-TEX’s official Label Check for its records.[2] Use the official GOTS supplier database for certified-entity and scope information.[6] Save the lookup date and the result relevant to your review. If a record is missing or differs from the document, ask the issuer to clarify; do not immediately label it fraudulent or silently accept it.

The GOTS database currently notes that certification bodies are updating information in its new repository.[6] That is a reason to resolve missing information with the certification body, not a reason to skip verification.

To follow the lookup workflow, open the official entry points below in a separate tab. Use a genuine identifier from the document you are reviewing. This guide does not submit an invented certificate number or present a fictional search as a successful authentication.

Fictional field-review example: the received record names Example Mill and covers fabric, while the PO requests a printed finished garment. Even if the mill record authenticates, finished-product coverage remains an open question. No real certificate or lookup result is claimed.

03

A certified component does not settle the finished garment

Ask what the document actually describes: yarn, fabric, thread, a component or the assembled product. Then identify the additional materials and processing in your garment. A print, coating, trim or later treatment can create a scope question that the original component document does not answer.

For example, a hypothetical supplier sends a certificate for an undyed fabric while quoting a dyed, printed garment. The next step is to ask how the finished product and processes are covered. Do not simply paste the certificate logo into the garment listing.

OEKO-TEX publishes label-use guidance, and GOTS defines conditions for presenting goods as certified.[3] [4] Keep artwork approval and certification coverage separate from ordinary branding approval. A designer’s permission to use the brand logo is not permission to use a certification mark.

04

Record the version and transition date

As checked on 18 October 2026, the final GOTS 8.1 document records release on 22 June 2026 and implementation from 1 March 2027. The July announcement confirms that the deadline remains unchanged.[4] [5] Do not describe that future implementation date as already past, or call 8.0 the latest published revision.

For a current certificate, record the basis shown and ask the certification body how the transition applies. The buyer should not invalidate a record solely because it refers to a preceding version during an allowed transition.

Keep the review date in your sourcing file. Certification schemes and databases change; a screenshot saved during development should not become a permanent substitute for checking the record again when the product and claim are finalized.

05

Make the product claim the last approval

Prepare the exact proposed wording and where it will appear: product page, hangtag, packaging or campaign. Give the reviewer the certificate, lookup record and order evidence together. A broad sentence such as “all our clothing is certified” may exceed the evidence even when one material is covered.

If the evidence supports only a narrower statement, use that statement or leave the claim out until the gap is resolved. Avoid treating certification as a substitute for the garment’s fit, construction and performance approval.

Set a change trigger for material substitutions and new processing. An order can remain visually identical while its evidence chain changes. The team approving a substitute should therefore consider both the technical specification and the certification claim.

Place this evidence review inside the wider manufacturer-selection process rather than using one certificate as the whole supplier assessment.

06

Certificate scope and label-use review

Review the record, the product and the proposed claim together. This worksheet does not authenticate or certify a supplier.

Attach the full certificate and appendices, official lookup record and any issuer clarification. Keep missing or mismatched details visible. Do not approve certification artwork until the product-level claim and required authorization are resolved.