The report details the record growth experienced in 2021, which included an increase of 19% in GOTS certified facilities around the world, with Certification Bodies (CBs) reporting 12,338 facilities in 79 countries (+11%). Three new GOTS-approved Certification Bodies brought the total to 18, nine of which have chemical input approval in their scopes. The additional CBs are helping meet an ever-increasing demand for certification. The rise in certifications also allowed GOTS to expand internally, adding Representatives as well as colleagues with expertise in Standard Development and Implementation, Quality Assurance, Communication, and IT. Visits to the GOTS website jumped 43% from 2020 and GOTS’s following on social media expanded significantly, gaining 57% across platforms.

“Despite ongoing difficulties and uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, decision-makers continue to pursue their sustainability goals and value GOTS as a tool to accomplish them,” says GOTS Managing Director Claudia Kersten.

 Additional highlights covered in the report include chronicling the implementation of the most recent update to the standard document, GOTS version 6.0, and the release of ‘Conditions for the Use of GOTS Signs (CUGS)’, which outlines the rules for using the GOTS logo and labeling and updates to GOTS Scope and Transaction Certification policies which are a crucial part of the certification process.

The GOTS 2021 Annual Report is available for viewing and download on the GOTS website: https://global-standard.org/resource-library/annual-reports