Textile Certifications Explained: GOTS vs. OEKO-TEX Linens

When buying luxury sheets, towels, and bedding from brands like John Robshaw, Yves, Delorme, Coyuchi, and Pom Pom at Home, you may notice several certifications of natural and organic status. The most common among fabric certifications are OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Certifications and GOTS Certifications. 

This article will explain what each textile certification means, and the best bedding brands that carry each labels. These definitions will help you shop organic bedding and chemical-free bedding with ease.

• 1. What is OEKO-Tex Standard 100 Certification?
• 2. What are the best linen brands that carry an OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Certification
• 3. What is GOTS Certification?
• 4. What are the best linen brands carry GOTS Certification?
• 5. What are the benefits of natural and organic linens?

OEKO-TEX® labels are a trusted way for consumers to verify that products are responsibly and sustainably produced. 

The STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certification is given by the independent OEKO-TEX® company. Founded in 1992, the organization began with the mission of using laboratory tests to ensure products are safe and healthy for people and pets. The company consistently updates its standards based on emerging materials, technologies, and scientific discoveries, so you can be sure that these product classes are always safe.

An OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certification encapsulates every element of a product meaning that everything including textiles, threads, buttons, zippers, and prints have been tested for safety.

This certification is globally standardized. They are stricter than national and international standards for product safety

To be more specific, the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 label guarantees that:

• The product has been tested for 350 toxic chemicals
• Every component of the product has been tested by an accredited lab
• All of the dyes, fibers, and additional components used in the product have been deemed safe for your health

Textile Certification Pro Tip: If you are unsure if a product is OEKO-TEX® certified, you can use the OEKO-TEX company's OEKO-TEX® Label Check tool to verify the safety of your product. 

Considering that we spend over 30% of our lives sleeping, choosing OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Certified bedding is a great way to invest in your health and peace of mind. 

Luxury bedding is more than look and feel; it is also about health. Therefore, as a leader in the high-end linens space, Fig Linens and Home is committed to stocking majority Standard 100 OEKO-TEX® Certified linens. 

For instance, Matouk linens, one of our bestselling bedding brands, is highly committed to its OEKO-TEX certification. All of their fabrics have been awarded the Standard 100 certification. Furthermore, in August 2022, Matouk was awarded STeP by OEKO-TEX® status. This certification signifies that Matouk has exceptionally sustainable and responsible textile production, and makes them one of only three STeP certified textile manufacturing facilities in the United States.

Other top brands like Yves Delorme, Mode Living, Designers Guild, carry many OEKO-tex certified sheet, OEKO-tex certified towels, and OEKO-tex certified table linens. Shop below.

GOTS is the worldwide leading textile processing standard for evaluating organic fibers. The acronym GOTS stands for the Global Organic Textile Standard. It can be used to evaluate organic sheets, organic towels, and organic table linens. They key features of GOTS certification include that:

1.  It evaluates organic fibers 
2. The standard takes into consideration both social and ecological criteria.
3. GOTS Certification looks at all textile processing stages
4. Evaluation is conducted by independent Third-Party GOTS accredited Certification Bodies. 

What are organic fibers exactly? Organic Fibers are created from plants grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and Genetically Modified Organisms. 

Aside from the key features of the certification, a GOTS label means several important things about the fabric. To be exact, GOTS certified textiles are:

• A product with the GOTS Label contains a minimum of 70% certified organic fibers
• The textile's production meets ethical norms set forth by the International Labor Organization, The UN's guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
• All steps in the processing, manufacturing, and trading process are evaluated by the standard.

For those concerned about shopping responsibly, a GOTS label is the gold standard. For the best organic sheets, and organic cotton bedding, look for GOTS certified sheets, GOTS certified bedding.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this article, and are interested in organic, and natural bedding, shop all GOTS and OEKO-Tex Certified bedding at the button below.