Global Organic Textile Standard film premiers around the world

On October 6, 2010, the International Working Group (IWG) on the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) hosts showings of its new film “The Global Organic Textile Standard – Ecology and Social Responsibility” in countries around the world. The film highlights the huge environmental impact of the conventional textile production and how companies getting certified to the stringent standard can reduce this impact while also addressing important social concerns. The event comes on the two-year anniversary of the release of the GOTS logo in 2008 which manufacturers around the world have started to add to the labels of products certified to the standard.

The film is shown on 6 October 2010 in Washington, DC, when the Organic Trade Association hosts a seminar with the filmmaker and producer, manufacturer, and retail association representatives; as well as econscious and control union representatives as well as in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the Danish textile stakeholders’ meeting at Organic Designs, the only retailer in Denmark where all products are GOTS-certified. Also, it is shown in Hong Kong at the Interstoff Asia Essential trade show; and in London, UK, at the RITE Group Conference, Central Hall Westminster. On October 16, the film will be shown at the Organic Trade Association’s GOTS meeting at the Natural Product Expo East in Boston; and by the Japan Organic Cotton Association (JOCA), which will host a press conference and film showing in Tokyo on 25 October 2010.

The premieres will also serve as celebrations of the IWG’s launch of establishing a system of regional representatives worldwide to drive an increase in the awareness of and certification to GOTS. Thus far, the IWG has appointed representatives in the USA/Canada (Sandra Marquardt), Great Britain (Christopher Stopes), Japan (Yoshiko Ikoma), and Denmark (Elisabeth Tosti). Appointments in the German-speaking countries and elsewhere will be made over the next year. (Picture: Sandra Marquardt)
 

Approximately 1,500 companies with a total of 2,811 facilities in 55 countries around the world were certified to the organic apparel and textile standard in 2009. That is almost a 40 % increase over the 1,977 facilities certified to the standard in 2008. The GOTS standard was approved in 2006. The companies are listed on a public data base at www.global-standard.org where the standard, Licensing & Labeling Guide, latest news and more information are posted. Participants in the GOTS International Working Group are the Organic Trade Association (USA), Japan Organic Cotton Association, International Association Natural Textile Industry (Germany), and the Soil Association (UK). Global retail sales of organic cotton apparel and home textile products reached an estimated 4.3 billion US$ in 2009, according to the Organic Cotton Market Report 2009 released by the non-profit organization Organic Exchange in May 2010.
 

OTA