What a GOTS certificate costs: 94 cents a bag at 25 pieces

Two new ranges went live this week.

The one worth a few minutes of your time is the organic cotton gymsac, because it answers a question that comes up in almost every procurement enquiry: what does a certificate actually add to the price?

Until this week, every drawstring bag in the range was conventional cotton. There is now a GOTS-certified version in the same shape and the same weight, so the two sit side by side and the difference is easy to read.

Same 37 × 46 cm size, same 140 g/m² cotton, same manufacturer, one colour print on one side, print included, excluding VAT:

So the premium is not a fixed percentage. It is smallest at the minimum order and widens as the quantity rises, because the conventional bag's price per bag falls faster.

What that means when you order

If certification has to appear on the paperwork and the quantity is small, the certificate is close to free. At 25 bags it is under a euro each, and nobody is going to query €23.50 on a tender document.

If you are ordering 100 or more and no one is asking for a certificate, the conventional gymsac does the same job for less. Both are 140 g/m² cotton, both are 37 × 46 cm, both hold 12 litres, both take the same print.

The new one is organic in-conversion cotton, grown by farmers who are moving to organic methods, and it is GOTS in-conversion certified by Control Union. It comes in natural, white, black, French navy, dusty blue, dusty green and terracotta, and the maximum print area is 30 × 32 cm.

Also new this week

The Fairtrade cotton Camden shopper, in 407 g/m² canvas, 28 × 38 × 12 cm, 13 litres, with 58 cm handles. The cotton is Fairtrade certified, FLO ID 20950. It starts at €11.72 a bag at 25 pieces with a one colour print, and it is live now in natural, natural with black handles, and black.

It is the heaviest Fairtrade option in the range, and it has a real gusset, so it stands up on a table and takes books, documents and bottles instead of flattening out.

One date to keep in mind

Production takes 10 to 15 working days after you approve your digital proof, plus delivery. Friday 6 November is the last comfortable order date for Christmas gifts delivered before mid-December.

Not sure which certificate your buyer actually needs? Email sales@printsandbags.com with what the bags are for and roughly how many, and we will tell you which bags carry which certification.

You can also compare the conventional cotton gymsac or browse all cotton bags with custom print.