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OTC
OEKO-TEX Organic Cotton
Global · Tier 2 Trusted
Soil Association Organic logo
Soil Association Organic
United Kingdom · Tier 2 Trusted
Rainforest Alliance logo
Rainforest Alliance
Global · Tier 3 Specialty
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.The UK's largest organic certifier. Standards are stricter than the UK government's baseline (which still mirrors EU 2018/848 post-Brexit). Recognised by the EU and USA under equivalence.Sustainable-agriculture certification (post-2020 merged standard with UTZ). Covers environmental, social, and economic criteria. NOT an organic mark.
ScopeTextilesSeveral categoriesFood
Established202319461987
InspectionAnnual on-site by OEKO-TEX-accredited institute (Hohenstein et al.)Annual on-site, UKAS-accreditedAnnual third-party audit (RA-accredited)
Residue testingRequired (Standard 100 panel + GMO/pesticide screening)Risk-basedRisk-based
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.
  • Stricter-than-baseline organic standards across food, textiles, cosmetics, and farming.
  • Annual on-site inspection.
  • Animal welfare standards (outdoor access, lower stocking density).
  • 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.
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).
  • Logo is trademarked — not a free-licence mark.
  • Allows synthetic pesticides — does NOT meet any organic standard. Often confused with organic but it's a different programme.

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