Low MOQ organic cotton clothing manufacturer: 150 pieces per style

What GOTS certification means, and what it does not

The Global Organic Textile Standard certifies the whole chain from certified organic fibre to finished garment, covering the processing, the chemicals used, and social criteria at each certified site, and it issues transaction certificates that follow the goods from one certified company to the next. A certified factory is a factory that can make GOTS goods; it does not mean every garment it makes is organic. Your garment is organic when the fabric in your order arrives with a transaction certificate and the finished goods are covered by one too, which needs the garment factory itself to be certified. That is what to ask for, and what to have in hand before any label says "organic".

Which garments work in organic cotton at 150 pieces

Our sister factory’s organic options sit in its knit categories: tees, tanks and polos, hoodies and sweatshirts, joggers and shorts, and lounge and sleep basics, in organic jersey, fleece and rib. Organic fabric ranges are narrower than conventional ranges, in weights and especially in shades, because organic dye lots are made less often; a first run uses what is in stock, and a custom organic shade needs a larger run.

Labels and claims

Two claims are possible. "Made with organic cotton" and "organic" have defined thresholds under GOTS, 70% and 95% certified organic fibre respectively, and using the GOTS logo on the product requires the goods to be certified through to the final stage with a licence to use the mark. A plainer claim, "organic cotton" with a transaction certificate on file and no logo, is what most small brands start with. The fibre content, care and origin required in your market sit alongside it. Settle the exact wording with the certificate in hand, not before.

• Transaction certificate for the fabric in your order, from the mill to our sister factory
• Transaction certificate for the finished goods, where your market or retailer needs one, possible only if the garment factory’s own GOTS licence checks out in the database
• GOTS logo only with a licence and certification to the final stage
• No "organic" wording on any label until the certificate is in hand

What organic changes in production

Little in the sewing and everything in the paperwork. At a GOTS-certified site, organic fabric is handled and stored separately from conventional fabric, the dyes and finishes used are from the GOTS-approved lists, and the certificates are issued for the specific quantity of fabric and goods, which is why the factory’s licence is checked before you order. Sampling, inspection and delivery run exactly as for any small run, and production takes about 40–50 days after sample approval, with DDP freight to your door on top.

Checking the certificate yourself

GOTS publishes a public database of certified companies. Before you order, ask the factory for its GOTS licence number, search the database for it yourself, and check that the certified site and scope match the factory making your order. Our guide to verifying factory certificates walks through the same check for every standard.

What to match on the scope certificate and the transaction certificate

An organic claim rests on two GOTS documents, and each is checked in a different way. The scope certificate says a company may process or sell certified goods, and GOTS requires it to state that it is no proof that any goods delivered are certified; the transaction certificate covers specific shipments. GOTS’s own rules set the limits worth knowing: a scope certificate is valid for no more than one year from its date of issue, and a transaction certificate may only be issued by the same approved certification body that issued the seller’s scope certificate (except while the seller is moving to a new certification body), and only if that scope certificate was valid on every shipment date the transaction certificate covers. An expired scope certificate, or a transaction certificate from a different certification body, is a reason to stop and ask before any label is printed.

On the scope certificate, match the licence number, which the certification body assigns and keeps the same on recertification, against the GOTS public database. Then read the facilities page on the copy you are sent; GOTS treats that page as confidential, so ask for the full certificate. It lists every site covered, with the process categories each one performs, and it lists subcontractors separately, so a sewing unit that does not appear there is not covered. Check that the product list includes your garment type with the label grade you plan to use, "Organic" or "Made with Organic", because a transaction certificate can only list products that are on the seller’s scope certificate. Finally, check that the valid-until date falls after your shipment date.

On the transaction certificate, match the seller to the certified company that sold you the goods, the buyer to the company that bought them from that seller, and the shipment date, invoice number, consignee address and number of units to your own order and shipping papers. It also lists the input transaction certificates for the materials that went into the garments, which is how the chain links back to the mill. A GOTS transaction certificate is issued as a digitally signed PDF, and each certification body tells GOTS how its certificates can be authenticated: an email address that confirms validity within two business days, a look-up web page, a web address or QR code on each certificate, or the digital signature itself. Confirm which route applies with the certification body itself, found through the GOTS list of approved certification bodies, rather than trusting a phone number or email printed on the document you were sent.

The GOTS database itself notes that certification bodies are still updating their data in its new repository, and it tells users with missing information to go directly to the certification body, so a missing listing is not on its own proof of a fake certificate. It is a reason to write to the certification body named on the certificate and ask it to confirm the licence number, the site and its validity directly. For the Organic Content Standard, Textile Exchange runs a Find a Certified Company search for scope certificates.

• Licence number found in the GOTS public database, or confirmed in writing by the certification body named on the certificate
• The site sewing your order listed on the facilities page, with the right process categories
• Your garment type and label grade in the product list
• A valid-until date later than your shipment date
• A transaction certificate naming your shipment: seller, buyer, invoice, date and units
• Authenticated through a route the certification body itself confirms, not a contact printed on the document