Which certificate do I need for organic cotton clothing?

GOTS, if you want to call the garment organic. Every step from spinning to sewing needs a GOTS certificate, and you need a transaction certificate for your order. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 alone doesn’t prove organic origin.

Is OEKO-TEX Standard 100 a sustainability certificate?

Not on its own. It shows the finished article was tested for harmful substances, which matters for skin contact, but it says nothing about organic or recycled fibre, water use or working conditions. Our OEKO-TEX vs GOTS vs bluesign guide compares them.

How do I check that a factory’s certificate is real?

Ask for the scope certificate, check that it names the site that makes your goods and hasn’t expired, then look up the licence or label number in the standard’s public database. For GOTS, GRS and RCS claims, ask for a transaction certificate with your shipment.

Do all your factories hold GOTS or OEKO-TEX?

No. Certificates are held per company and per site, and each one covers a defined scope. The Directory lists what each factory states, with expiry dates tracked. Name the certificate you need in your brief and we only route it to a factory whose scope covers it.

Can I use recycled or organic fabric made in Portugal?

Yes, where the mill can supply it with the certificate your claim needs. Availability, colours and fabric minimums depend on the mill, so we confirm them on your brief. Read our sustainable fabrics guide for the options.

Does sustainable production cost more?

Usually, yes: certified fabric tends to cost more than conventional fabric, and every company in the chain pays for its own certification. How much depends on the fabric and the quantity, so you get it in writing with your quote.

Sustainable production · Portugal

Sustainable clothing manufacturer in Portugal

A sustainable claim is only as good as the certificate you can check behind it. Tell us what you make and which claim you want to print; we route your brief to a factory in our group that can back it, and you check the certificate yourself before you order.

Send your brief See 80+ factories: Directory €39

Free brief
Reply within 24h
No commissions: the factory bills you directly

Directory: one-time €39, instant download.

Racks of fabric rolls in a textile warehouse

GOTS, OEKO-TEX, GRS: checked per factory, per order

Certificates explained

What each certificate covers, and what it doesn’t

No single certificate makes a garment “sustainable”. Each one checks one thing: fibre, chemicals, recycled content, the factory or the workers. Pick the one that backs the claim on your label.

Natural linen
Cotton-modal jersey
Circular knitting floor

GOTS
Covers: organic fibre (at least 70%, or 95% for the “organic” label grade) through every processing step, with chemical and social rules. Doesn’t cover: recycled content as the main claim, or any step outside a company’s certified scope.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Covers: the finished article or component, lab-tested for a list of harmful substances, with stricter limits for baby and skin-contact product classes. Doesn’t cover: organic or recycled origin, working conditions, water or energy use.
OEKO-TEX STeP
Covers: the production site: chemical and environmental management, social responsibility, health and safety. Doesn’t cover: a product label on its own; MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX combines product testing and STeP.
GRS and RCS
Covers: recycled content tracked through the supply chain. RCS verifies the content only; GRS adds social, environmental and chemical rules. Doesn’t cover: the virgin part of a blend, or harmful substances in the finished piece.
bluesign
Covers: chemical inputs and resource use at the sites that make materials, most often technical and outdoor fabric mills. Doesn’t cover: fibre origin, and it is usually the fabric mill, not the sewing factory, that is the bluesign partner.
Fair Wear and SA8000
Covers: working conditions. SA8000 certifies a workplace (wages, hours, health and safety, child and forced labour, freedom of association); Fair Wear is a membership that checks how brands improve their supply chain. Doesn’t cover: materials or chemicals.

Not sure which one your buyer or retailer expects? Brief us the claim and we tell you which certificate backs it.

Send a free brief Get your tech pack for €79

Claim to certificate

Which certificate backs which claim

“Organic cotton”GOTSPlus a transaction certificate for your lot
“Tested for harmful substances”OEKO-TEX 100Label number you can look up
“Made with recycled fibre”GRS or RCSPlus a transaction certificate for your lot
“Made in fair conditions”SA8000Or a current social audit on file

One certificate never covers everything. Decide which claim goes on the swing tag first, then ask for the certificate that backs exactly that claim, for the site that makes your goods.

Summarised from the standard owners (Global Organic Textile Standard, OEKO-TEX, Textile Exchange, bluesign, Social Accountability International, Fair Wear). Rules change between versions: check the current standard before you print a claim. More detail in OEKO-TEX vs GOTS vs bluesign.

Brief us the claim you need Get the Directory for €39

Check it yourself

How to verify a factory’s certificate

A logo on a website or a PDF in an email proves nothing on its own. These checks take a few minutes and work for any factory, ours included.

Ask for the scope certificate. It names the company and the site address, the processes and product categories covered, and the expiry date. The site that makes your goods must be on it.
Look up the number. GOTS, OEKO-TEX and Textile Exchange (GRS, RCS) all run public databases where you can check a licence, certificate or label number. SA8000 certificates are listed by SAAS, its accreditation body.
Ask for a transaction certificate for your order. For GOTS, GRS and RCS it is the only proof that your specific goods are certified. Without it you can’t label them as certified.
Check the whole chain. Every step, spinner, mill, dyer and sewing factory, needs its own certificate for a GOTS or GRS claim. One uncertified step breaks it.

Brief us the certificate you need Get the Directory for €39

Certificate checklist

Scope certificateWho and what is certifiedCompany, site, processes, products, expiry
Licence numberLook it up onlineIn the standard’s public database
Transaction cert.Your goods, per shipmentGOTS, GRS and RCS
OEKO-TEX labelLabel number and product classClass II or I for skin contact
Expiry dateValid on the ship dateGOTS, GRS and OEKO-TEX 100 run for a year
Name and addressMatch the invoiceNot a parent company or an agent

What the Directory lists

What we list for every factory

Before you email a factory, check what it says it holds. The Factory Directory documents 80+ Portuguese factories, re-validated every quarter.

Want to contact factories yourself?

The Factory Directory lists 80+ documented factories with town, specialty, MOQ, certification and a direct contact.

Send a free brief Get the Directory for €39

Directory: one-time payment. Instant download.

Region
Town

Where the factory is, so you can plan visits and sampling trips.
Specialty
What it makes

Knit, woven, denim, technical or tailoring, so your brief reaches the right floor.
MOQ
Per product category

Minimum order tiers, so you skip factories that won’t fit your volume.
Certifications
As stated, with expiry dates

GOTS, OEKO-TEX and GRS coverage flagged. Verify the current certificate before you order.
Social audits
Verified flag

Factories with a current SMETA, BSCI, SA8000 or equivalent certificate on file are flagged.
Contact
Direct email

A direct address, not a gateway, so you can ask for the scope certificate yourself.

Listed certificates are what each factory states and what we had on file at the last quarterly check; certificates expire, so always check the current one in the standard’s database. How the list is built: Factory Directory.

Worker sorting finished garments on a table — Sorting finished pieces

How it works

How a certified order runs

Send your brief
Product, quantities and the claim you want to make (organic, recycled, tested, fair). Free, and a real person replies within 24 hours.
Choose the material
Organic cotton, recycled polyester or recycled cotton blends and other certified fabrics come from mills and agents in Portugal and Europe; availability and fabric minimums depend on the mill, so we confirm them on your brief.
Matched to a certified site
We route your brief to a factory in our group whose certificate scope covers your product. Our fee is quoted in writing after we read your brief, before any work starts.
Check the paperwork, then sample
Ask for the scope certificates of the mill and the factory before you pay a deposit, and check the numbers online. Then approve the sample as usual.
Production with the paper trail
The factory invoices you directly, with no commission on your order. Ask for the transaction certificate with the shipment if your label makes a GOTS, GRS or RCS claim.