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	USDA Organic United States · Tier 1 Gold	EU Organic (Euro-Leaf) European Union · Tier 1 Gold	OTC OEKO-TEX Organic Cotton Global · Tier 2 Trusted	Naturland Germany · Tier 2 Trusted
What it means	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.	The mandatory mark for any pre-packaged organic food sold in the EU. The 'Euro-Leaf' is a stylised leaf made of twelve white stars on a green background.	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.	A German farmers' association whose private organic standard is stricter than the EU baseline. Covers food, aquaculture, textiles, and cosmetics. Recognised globally.
Scope	Food	Food	Textiles	Several categories
Established	2002	2010	2023	1982
Inspection	Annual on-site by USDA-accredited certifier	Annual on-site by accredited control body in producer country	Annual on-site by OEKO-TEX-accredited institute (Hohenstein et al.)	Annual on-site by Naturland-accredited inspectors
Residue testing	Required on ≥5% of operations annually	Risk-based; mandatory at higher-risk operations	Required (Standard 100 panel + GMO/pesticide screening)	Required
Guarantees	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.	At least 95% of agricultural ingredients are organic (regulation EU 2018/848). No synthetic pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, no GMOs. Animal welfare standards (outdoor access, lower stocking density, no routine antibiotics). Annual inspection by an accredited control body in the producing member state. Mandatory display of the certifier's code and origin (e.g. 'EU Agriculture' / 'Non-EU Agriculture').	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 EU 2018/848 (lower nitrogen inputs, full-farm conversion, social standards). Annual on-site inspection. Fair-pricing requirements for member farmers.
Does NOT	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.	Doesn't ban the natural pesticides allowed under the regulation (copper sulphate, spinosad). Doesn't certify processed-food additives beyond the EU's permitted list.	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).	Membership-based — only farms that join the Naturland association can use the mark.

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