The Organization for Economic Cooperation (OECD) has given its approval of the Global Organic Textile Standard’s (GOTS) version 7.0. The OECD recently completed an Alignment Assessment of the standard’s due diligence frameworks and found it mostly aligned with their Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector.
The standards-only evaluation, which is part of the OECD’s pilot program on alignment assessments, reviewed 167 criteria and found that 69 percent of GOTS’ criteria fully aligned with their guidelines. OECD determined 29 percent of GOTS’ criteria was partially aligned, and 2 percent was not aligned. Overall, OECD ruled that GOTS’ framework was partially aligned with their methodology.
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OECD’s report commended GOTS for covering the full due diligence process, including risk identification, prioritization, mitigation, monitoring, communication and remediation. GOTS also received high marks for setting clear and consistent expectations across labor rights, environmental criteria and supply chain integrity, as well as applying due diligence requirements across both certified entities’ own operations and their full supply chains.
“This milestone underlines the strength of our due diligence requirements and our commitment to supporting companies in addressing human rights and environmental risks,” said Rahul Bhajekar, managing director at Global Standard. “The outcome of the OECD assessment confirms that GOTS is well-positioned to support companies in meeting global expectations for responsible business conduct.”
Global Standard, the nonprofit behind GOTS, developed the new due diligence framework based on OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The framework was designed to provide GOTS-certified companies with a structured, risk-based approach to implementing meaningful due diligence throughout the textile value chain, from seed to finished garment.
GOTS released its Due Diligence Handbook for Auditors in collaboration with the Hague-based human rights organization UpRights Foundation in November. The publication was created to guide auditors as they evaluate compliance with GOTS 7.0 criteria, which aims to identify and eliminate supply chain issues for textile companies. GOTS embarked on the OECD assessment process in 2023.
The OECD Alignment Assessment covers three stages, including standards, implementation and credibility assessments. The assessment is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
“This assessment by the OECD is an important validation of the direction we have taken,” said Claudia Kersten, managing director at Global Standard. “It encourages us to continue supporting our certified entities with practical guidance and strong due diligence tools grounded in international expectations.”
