Global Standard to announce new voluntary sustainability standard in Q4

Global Standard, the non-profit organisation behind the internationally-recognised Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), has launchd a public consultation period for its new “voluntary sustainability standard”, the Global Responsible Textile Standard (GRTS).

The new standard will be announced in Q4 and the body said GRTS “aims to extend the same principles of health, ecology, fairness, and care” to a broader range of fibres. While GOTS “remains the global benchmark for organic textiles, GRTS “will enable companies using other responsible fibres to credibly demonstrate both environmental and social performance under the same trusted system”.

While GOTS is now implemented in over 15,000 certified facilities across 87 countries, GRTS builds on that foundation, marking a “key milestone in advancing the mission to drive the highest levels of social and environmental impact across the textile value chain through voluntary sustainability standards and related activities”. 

Global Standard said GRTS is designed to “help the textile industry drive positive change across the entire value chain”, enabling companies “to respond to rising market expectations and comply with emerging regulatory requirements without adding unnecessary complexity or cost”.

Rahul Bhajekar and Claudia Kersten, managing directors of Global Standard, added: “This expansion… empowers us to maintain minimal fees in our non-profit set-up, as we are dedicated to avoiding additional burdens on the industry’s sustainability measures.

“On the one hand, the GOTS framework will now serve as a foundation for broader applications, while on the other, it continues to stand as the leading voluntary sustainability standard in the organic textile sector.”