GOTS approved chemicals are dyes and auxiliaries that meet the input rules of the Global Organic Textile Standard, which applies to textile mills and not to chemical makers. The OEKO-TEX ECO PASSPORT is a separate certificate issued for the chemical product, confirming it meets OEKO-TEX's chemical requirements.
If you supply a mill that must stay GOTS-certified, you need to know which route your Indian supplier can offer, and how the mill's certifier will verify it.
What does GOTS require of chemical inputs?
GOTS is a standard for organic textiles, covering fibre, processing, labelling and social criteria. Within processing, it restricts the dyes, pigments and auxiliaries that a certified mill may use, and sets environmental and toxicological criteria for them.
The mill, not the chemical maker, is certified. The mill's certification body checks each input against the current standard, usually through safety data sheets and supporting documents. Ask GOTS or the mill's certifier for the current input requirements and how they accept a supplier's evidence, because both change over time.
One caution is worth stating. A supplier who says its dye is 'GOTS compliant' may only mean that its safety data sheet shows no restricted substances. That is a different claim from an assessment by the mill's certifier. Equally, an ECO PASSPORT certificate applies to the listed product and plant, so a similar product from another plant is not covered. Keep the wording of each claim exactly as the supplier gives it, and ask for it to be included in the purchase order as a condition.
What does OEKO-TEX ECO PASSPORT certify?
ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX is a certification for textile chemicals, dyes and auxiliaries. A chemical supplier applies for it, and the product is assessed against OEKO-TEX's requirements, which include a restricted substances list and, as OEKO-TEX describes it, a check of the formulation and the production in the manufacturing plant.
A certified product is listed by OEKO-TEX, which lets a textile mill show that its chemicals have been through an independent check. It supports the mill's own certificates, such as STANDARD 100, but does not replace them.
How is this different from ZDHC and Bluesign?
ZDHC concerns a manufacturing restricted substances list for chemical inputs, covered in whether Indian dyes comply with ZDHC MRSL. Bluesign is a system approach covering inputs and process, covered in Bluesign and Indian dye makers.
These schemes overlap but are not interchangeable. A brand may accept one and not another, so ask your customer which schemes it names before you ask a supplier for anything.
How do you verify a supplier's claim?
Treat every claim as something to check, not a headline:
- Ask for the certificate number and look it up with the scheme owner; do not rely on a copy.
- Check that the certificate names the exact product, not just the company.
- Check the validity date and the scope, including the plant that makes your product.
- Ask what the claim means in writing: input approved, or product certified, or both.
- Confirm with your customer's certifier that this evidence is accepted for their audit.
Next step
Start from the scheme your customer names, then find out which Indian makers hold it for the products you need. See also chemical eco-labels for the wider picture. We audit manufacturers and check their documents, and you can book a free sourcing review to map the certification route.