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OTC
OEKO-TEX Organic Cotton
Global · Tier 2 Trusted
AB (Agriculture Biologique) logo
AB (Agriculture Biologique)
France · Tier 2 Trusted
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'Natural' (NOT a certification)
Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing
What it meansLaunched April 2023 by the OEKO-TEX Association. A separate certificate from Standard 100 that combines the Standard 100 chemical-residue test with verified organic-cotton supply chain — addressing the long-standing confusion that Standard 100 alone is NOT an organic mark.France's national organic mark, owned by the Ministry of Agriculture. Sits alongside the EU Leaf on virtually all French organic packaging.The word 'natural' on packaging is a marketing term, not a certification. In most jurisdictions there's no legal definition, no standard, and no inspection. A product labelled 'natural' can contain synthetic ingredients, pesticides, GMOs, and artificial flavours.
ScopeTextilesFoodSeveral categories
Established20231985—
InspectionAnnual on-site by OEKO-TEX-accredited institute (Hohenstein et al.)Annual on-site by French-accredited certifiersNone
Residue testingRequired (Standard 100 panel + GMO/pesticide screening)Risk-basedNone
Guarantees
  • Two grades: 'Organic Cotton' (100% certified-organic cotton) and 'Organic Cotton Blended' (≥70% certified-organic cotton).
  • Full Standard 100 chemical residue test on the finished product.
  • Additional GMO test + pesticide residue test specific to organic farming.
  • Verified chain of custody from farm to finished product.
  • Annual re-certification with independent OEKO-TEX institute audits.
  • EU baseline organic (EU 2018/848).
  • Annual on-site inspection by accredited French certifiers (Ecocert, Bureau Veritas, Qualité-France).
  • Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.
Does NOT
  • Doesn't certify the social/labour conditions across the supply chain in the way GOTS does (use OEKO-TEX STeP for that, or pair with GOTS).
  • Cotton-only — doesn't apply to other organic fibres (wool, hemp, linen).
  • Same standard as the EU Leaf — AB is the brand consumers recognise, not a stricter rule.
  • Doesn't mean organic. Doesn't mean pesticide-free. Doesn't mean GMO-free. Doesn't mean ethically produced.
  • Some markets (e.g. the US FDA on food, EU on cosmetics) place very limited restrictions on the word, but enforcement is weak.

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