GOTS Cracks Down On False ‘Organic’ Fibre Claims

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GOTS Cracks Down On False ‘Organic’ Fibre Claims

Lawsuit and FTC complaint aim to reduce rampant false GOTS and organic claims as well as logo uses in the textile sector - based on USDA's policy on labeling organic textile products.

It was a major win for consumers faced with a "Wild West" of textile products being mislabeled and/or falsely advertised as "organic." On March 21, GOTS won a civil action in the US District Court of Virginia against defendants Serta Simmons Bedding, Delta Enterprises Corporation, and Dreamwell, Ltd., alleging unauthorised uses of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification trademark on sleeping mattresses, particularly infant mattresses. The civil suit (Global Standard gemeinnützige GmbH v. Serta Simmons Bedding, LLC et al, Eastern District of Virginia Case No. 1:15-cv-01486) was promptly resolved with a permanent injunction prohibiting unauthorised uses of the GOTS certification trademark. A week later, on March 30, GOTS filed a complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) documenting the widespread inaccurate and misleading use of the term "organic" by US companies and marketers in connection with textile products. "The lawsuit and FTC complaint should send a clear message to the textile sector that unauthorised and unsubstantiated claims that textile products are 'organic' or GOTS-certified will not be tolerated," stated Herbert Ladwig, GOTS Managing Director. "To serve our certified operations and provide fair competition in the market for certified organic goods, we welcome market participants to notify both us and the FTC of any perceived misuses of the term organic or the GOTS logo."

In 2011, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) released a Policy Memorandum addressing the labeling of textile products containing organic ingredients (such as organic cotton, organic wool, and organic linen). The memo clarifies that only textile products produced in full compliance with the NOP regulations may be labeled as NOP certified organic and display the USDA organic seal. However, as most of the NOP's permitted inputs are not applicable to textile processing, NOP labeling is likely unachievable for most garments and textile products that use a variety of dyestuffs and auxiliary agents. "As a practical alternative, NOP's policy memo explicitly confirms that textile products produced in accordance with GOTS, such as apparel, mattresses, or socks, may be sold as 'organic' in the US, without reference to NOP certification or the USDA organic seal," Ladwig states.

In the complaint to the FTC, GOTS requests the agency make clear to marketers that in the absence of government organic textile standards, private and globally applicable standards with third-party certifications have been developed that are recognised by certain federal agencies. Such global standards - in contrast to mere national ones - are more suitable anyway to industries which are - as the textile industry is - organised globally. The organisation also urged FTC to expressly acknowledge GOTS, refer to NOP's Policy Memorandum on Textiles, and monitor and enforce use of the term "organic" on textiles that are not certified under either NOP or GOTS. Such steps would significantly help prevent misleading organic claims and ensure consumer confidence in the term "organic."