GOTS vs OEKO-TEX: Which Cotton Certification Does Your Brand Need?

The short version: GOTS certifies that a textile is genuinely organic and made under strict environmental and social conditions across the whole supply chain, while OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certifies that the finished product has been tested and found free of harmful substances.

They answer different questions. If your claim is about organic and ethical production, you need GOTS. If your claim is about a product being safe and tested, OEKO-TEX is enough.

This guide explains the difference and helps you choose the right one for your brand.

What GOTS certifies

GOTS, the Global Organic Textile Standard, is the leading standard for organic textiles.

It sets requirements from the field to the finished bag:

• Organic fibre content. A product labelled "organic" must contain at least 95% certified organic fibres; "made with organic" requires at least 70%.
• Environmental processing criteria. Restrictions on chemicals, dyes, and water treatment throughout manufacturing.
• Social criteria. Minimum labour standards based on international conventions across the supply chain.

In other words, GOTS is a claim about how the textile was grown and made, not just what is in the final product.

That makes it the stronger standard when your marketing rests on the words organic, ethical, or sustainable.

What OEKO-TEX certifies

OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is a product-safety certification.

It tests the finished textile against a long list of regulated and harmful substances and confirms the product is within safe limits. Crucially, it does not require the cotton to be organic.

A conventional cotton bag can be OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified, because the certification is about what is in the finished item, not how the fibre was grown.

OEKO-TEX also runs other labels, including Made in Green, which adds traceability and sustainable-production criteria.

For most bag buyers, though, the relevant comparison is GOTS (organic and supply chain) versus OEKO-Standard 100 (finished-product safety).

The key differences at a glance

Question	GOTS	OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Requires organic fibre?	Yes (70% or 95%)	No
Tests for harmful substances?	Yes	Yes
Covers the supply chain?	Yes, field to finished product	Finished product only
Social/labour criteria?	Yes	No (in Standard 100)
Best backs the claim...	"Organic", "ethical", "sustainable"	"Tested", "safe", "free of harmful substances"

Which certification does your brand need?

Match the certification to the claim you intend to make:

• You market the bag as organic, ethical, or sustainable: choose GOTS. It is the only one of the two that substantiates an organic claim and covers the supply chain.
• You want to reassure customers the product is safe and tested, without an organic claim: OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is sufficient and often more affordable.
• You sell to procurement teams or the public sector: tenders increasingly ask for one or both, so check the specific requirement in the brief.
• You want the strongest possible position: an organic bag that is both GOTS and OEKO-TEX certified covers organic content, supply-chain conditions, and product safety.

This decision usually rides on positioning.

Brands leaning into sustainability, including those switching away from plastic after the EU single-use plastics rules, benefit from GOTS because the claim is doing marketing work.

Premium brands positioning on quality, as in our guide to what premium really means in tote sourcing, often want both.

Using certification claims responsibly

Certifications are only an asset if you use them accurately.

A few rules keep you on the right side of both the law and your customers: only claim a certification the specific product actually holds, do not imply organic when only OEKO-TEX (product safety) applies, and keep the certificate reference available if a buyer asks. Vague eco language without a standard behind it is exactly what regulators and informed customers now see through.

Pairing a certified material with a bag people reuse, and choosing the right fabric weight for the use, is what turns a certification into a genuine advantage rather than a sticker.

How to check a certification is genuine

A certification is only worth as much as its evidence.

For GOTS and OEKO-TEX, certificates are issued to specific facilities and products and can be verified, so a credible supplier can point you to the certificate or licence number behind a claim. If a supplier only offers a vague eco label with no standard named and no documentation, treat the claim with caution.

Keeping the certificate reference on file is also sensible for your own records, especially if you make the claim in your marketing or supply to a tender that asks for proof.

Remember that certification usually applies to the blank bag and its materials.

If you print on it, ask your supplier whether the inks and finishing keep the certified status intact, since some claims depend on the whole finished product.

Certifications and public-sector or corporate tenders

If you sell to universities, museums, the public sector, or large corporates, certification is often not optional.

Tenders and procurement policies increasingly specify GOTS, OEKO-TEX, or both, and a bid that cannot show the required certificate can be excluded regardless of price. Read the brief carefully to see which standard is asked for, since the two are not interchangeable, and choose a certified bag that matches the exact requirement.

Being able to supply the certificate quickly can be the difference between winning and losing the work.

In short, match the certification to the claim: GOTS for organic and supply-chain claims, OEKO-TEX for tested product safety, and both for the strongest position.

Verify the certificate, keep it on file, and your sustainability message will stand up to scrutiny.

To sum up, the choice is not about which certification is better in the abstract, but which one matches the promise you are making to customers.

Decide the claim first, choose GOTS or OEKO-TEX (or both) to substantiate it, ask your supplier for the certificate reference, and keep it on file.

That simple discipline turns a sustainability message from a marketing risk into a genuine, defensible advantage that stands up to buyers, tenders, and regulators alike.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between GOTS and OEKO-TEX?

GOTS certifies organic fibre content and the environmental and social conditions of the whole supply chain.

OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certifies that the finished product has been tested and is free of harmful substances, without requiring organic fibre.

Can a bag be OEKO-TEX certified but not organic?

Yes.

OEKO-TEX Standard 100 tests the finished product for harmful substances and does not require organic cotton, so conventional cotton bags can carry it.

Which do I need to call a bag organic?

GOTS.

It is the standard that substantiates an organic claim, requiring at least 95% organic fibre for an "organic" label or 70% for "made with organic".

Should I get both certifications?

If you want the strongest position, yes.

An organic bag certified to both GOTS and OEKO-TEX covers organic content, supply-chain conditions, and product safety.

Do procurement tenders require these certifications?

Increasingly, yes.

Public-sector and corporate tenders often specify GOTS, OEKO-TEX, or both, so check the exact requirement in the brief before ordering.

How do I verify a GOTS or OEKO-TEX certificate?

Certificates are issued to specific facilities and products and can be verified by their licence or certificate number.

A credible supplier can provide this; a vague eco label with no standard or documentation should be treated with caution.

Does printing affect a bag's certification?

It can.

Certification usually applies to the blank and its materials, so ask whether the inks and finishing keep the certified status intact if the claim needs to cover the finished, printed product.

Which certification is more expensive?

GOTS is often the more demanding and can carry a higher cost because it covers organic fibre and the whole supply chain, while OEKO-TEX Standard 100 tests the finished product.

Choose the one that matches your claim rather than defaulting to the cheapest.

Can conventional cotton be certified at all?

Yes.

Conventional cotton cannot be GOTS organic, but it can carry OEKO-TEX Standard 100 for product safety, which reassures customers the finished bag is tested for harmful substances.

Is one certification enough, or should I list several?

List only what the product genuinely holds.

One well-matched certification that backs your specific claim is stronger than several vaguely referenced logos, and misrepresenting a certification is a real risk.