The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) has been authorised to validate brands’ manufacturing and wet process compliance for Germany’s Grüner Knopf (Green Button) government-run certification for sustainable textiles, adding to its existing status as a verifier of fibres and materials.
The German Ministry of Development (BMZ) has approved GOTS to act as a certifier for the Green Button 2.0, which aims to increase protection of people and the environment from the first version, which was launched in September 2019.
“Recognition allows approximately 60 Green Button companies to utilise the certification scheme to cover the meta-label requirements and provide consumers with guidance about independent, ambitious, and relevant certification labels in the textile market,” GOTS said in a statement.
The Green Button originates in Germany but aims to be a global seal. All companies that manufacture or distribute textile goods can apply for Green Button certification. To meet the Green Button requirements for production processes and to be able to label products, companies must demonstrate recognised certification labels for all three areas (fibre and material use, wet processes, manufacturing).
Prior to this, companies must demonstrate compliance with the requirements for corporate due diligence processes within a Green Button audit. The standards binding requirements include more than 45 demanding social and environmental criteria that must be met – from wastewater limits to a ban on forced labour.
The German state sets the criteria and conditions for product and company certification to the Green Button, the updated version of which now includes.
• First steps toward living wages
• Further development of grievance mechanisms
• Strengthening the integration of policy and reporting
• Stronger engagement with affected stakeholders
• Anchoring of due diligence in corporate processes
• Deepening the requirements into the supply chains
The updated product requirements include:
• Expanded requirements for material and fibre use
• Further manufacturing and textile wet processing requirements
• Next steps in the development process
Other textile labels and certifiers used by Green Button include bluesign, Cotton Made in Africa, Fairtrade Cotton, Fairtrade Textile Standard, Global Recycled Standard, Naturtextil IVN zertifiziert BEST, Oeko-Tex, Responsible Down Standard and the Responsible Wool Standard.
