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	OTC OEKO-TEX Organic Cotton Global · Tier 2 Trusted	Rainforest Alliance Global · Tier 3 Specialty	Canada Organic Biologique Canada · Tier 1 Gold	USDA Organic United States · Tier 1 Gold
What it means	Launched 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.	Sustainable-agriculture certification (post-2020 merged standard with UTZ). Covers environmental, social, and economic criteria. NOT an organic mark.	The federal Canadian organic standard, mandatory on any agricultural product sold across provincial borders or imported as 'organic'.	The US Department of Agriculture's national organic standard. The green-and-white seal is the legal mark for any food sold as 'organic' in the United States.
Scope	Textiles	Food	Food	Food
Established	2023	1987	2009	2002
Inspection	Annual on-site by OEKO-TEX-accredited institute (Hohenstein et al.)	Annual third-party audit (RA-accredited)	Annual on-site by CFIA-accredited certifier	Annual on-site by USDA-accredited certifier
Residue testing	Required (Standard 100 panel + GMO/pesticide screening)	Risk-based	Risk-based, conducted by accredited certifiers	Required on ≥5% of operations annually
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.	Reduced (not eliminated) synthetic pesticide use, with bans on the most hazardous classes. Forest conservation requirements (no deforestation after the cut-off date). Worker welfare and community development requirements. Annual third-party audit.	≥95% organic ingredients (single-ingredient products: 100%). No synthetic pesticides, no GMOs, no irradiation. Annual third-party certification under the Canada Organic Regime.	At least 95% of ingredients are certified organic (the '100% Organic' variant requires every ingredient). No synthetic pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, no GMOs, no sewage sludge, no irradiation. Annual on-site inspection by a USDA-accredited certifier. Residue testing on at least 5% of certified operations each year.
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).	Allows synthetic pesticides — does NOT meet any organic standard. Often confused with organic but it's a different programme.	Provincial sales-only operations are not legally required to carry it (though many do voluntarily).	Doesn't certify nutrition, taste, or animal welfare specifically (separate marks like AWA cover welfare). Doesn't guarantee local production — a 'USDA Organic' product can be grown anywhere with an accredited inspector.

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