OEKO-TEX and GOTS: what do the labels mean?

Textiles carry a lot of labels, and the differences between them are hard to make out. The two most common on bedding are OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and GOTS. They tell you different things, which is why the same product can carry both. In this guide we explain what each label means, what it doesn't tell you and how you can check for yourself that a certificate is valid.

OEKO-TEX Standard 100 in short

OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is an international testing and certification system that tests finished textiles for harmful substances. Hundreds of substances are tested, for example formaldehyde, heavy metals, certain azo dyes, pesticide residues and allergenic dyes. The limit values are based on legislation and research, and they are updated every year.

The test covers every part of the product. For a duvet cover, the sewing thread, buttons and ties are tested as well as the fabric. The limit values depend on the product class. Class I is for baby products and is the strictest. Class II covers products in direct contact with the skin, such as bedding and towels. Classes III and IV are for products that don't touch the skin or are furnishing materials.

What OEKO-TEX doesn't tell you

OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is not an organic label. It doesn't tell you how the fibre was grown, and it doesn't address working conditions in factories or environmental emissions. It tells you that the finished product has been tested and contains no harmful substances above the permitted limits. It is a good basic requirement for anything that lies against your skin all night.

GOTS in short

GOTS, the Global Organic Textile Standard, is the international standard for organic textiles. It requires the fibre to be grown organically without synthetic pesticides and fertilisers. The standard also covers the whole production chain, from spinning and dyeing to finishing and sewing. Every stage must be certified.

GOTS restricts the chemicals and dyes that can be used and requires factories to treat their waste water. It also has social criteria based on the conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO): for example a ban on child labour and forced labour, safe working conditions and reasonable working hours. A product labelled organic must contain at least 95 per cent organic fibre, and one labelled made with organic at least 70 per cent.

The difference in short

OEKO-TEX Standard 100 looks at the finished product and tells you it contains no harmful substances. GOTS looks at the whole chain from field to finished product and tells you the fibre is organic and production meets environmental and labour requirements. Neither replaces the other. An OEKO-TEX labelled product can be made from conventional cotton, and through its chemical restrictions GOTS covers some of the same ground as OEKO-TEX.

How to check a certificate

Every OEKO-TEX certificate has a number, which is marked on the product or in its details. You can check the number with the Label Check service on the OEKO-TEX website. The service tells you who the certificate was issued to, which products it covers, which product class applies and whether the certificate is valid. Certificates are renewed every year, so an old number may have expired.

GOTS-certified companies are listed in the standard's public database, which you can search by company name or certificate number. If a product carries the GOTS label, it must also show the name or number of the certifier. If the seller doesn't give the number, ask for it. A label without a number cannot be checked. The same goes for online shops' own green claims, such as the words natural or eco-friendly, which have no external certification or checkable number behind them.

What our products carry

All our products carry the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certificate: washed linen, percale, sateen and waffle cotton. Percale and sateen are also GOTS-certified organic cotton. The certificate number for our linen is given in the product details on the product pages, so you can check it yourself with Label Check.

Our linen is not GOTS certified. In Europe flax is usually grown on rainwater with few pesticides, but organic certification would require the whole farming process and chain to be verified. That is why we don't call our linen organic.

What the labels don't tell you

Certificates tell you about safety and production methods. They don't tell you how the fabric feels, how long it lasts or whether the sewing is careful. Nor do they tell you where the product was made. Our washed linen is woven and sewn in Lithuania, and our percale and sateen are woven and sewn in Portugal. We design the products in Helsinki. Besides the labels, judge quality by the material details, such as weight, thread count and fibre length.

Why we chose these labels

Sheets are against your skin for eight hours every night, and a towel touches your skin every day. That is why we see testing for harmful substances as a minimum requirement for all our products. For cotton we also chose organic, because conventional cotton farming uses a lot of pesticides and water, and GOTS is the standard that covers the whole chain.

For us a certificate is not a marketing line. If you want to check the certificate for one of our products and can't find the number in the product details, ask customer service and we'll tell you. The same goes for questions about where a product was woven and sewn.

Frequently asked questions

What does OEKO-TEX mean? That the finished textile has been tested for harmful substances and meets the standard's limit values. Is OEKO-TEX an organic label? No. GOTS, for example, is the label that tells you something is organic.

What does GOTS mean? The international organic textile standard, which covers organic farming, chemical restrictions and working conditions across the whole production chain. How do I check a certificate? You can check an OEKO-TEX number with the Label Check service and a GOTS certificate in the standard's public database.