Labelling of Organic Clothing

The area of organic clothing labelling can be a confusing one. There are no global or even U.S. domestic standards for organic or sustainable textiles as their are for organic foods.  All manufacturers of organic products must be registered with a certification body.  The legal requirements on labeling vary from country to country. Raw organic cotton is typically from outside the EU, in order to sell the finished article in the UK EU regulations must be met and adhered to. Details on the standards for the growing of organic cotton can be found on the EU website (www.europa.eu.int)

There are also a number of other organisations involved in developing standards for organic produce including Organic Trade Association (OTA) in the U.S., the Soil Association in the U.K., the International Association Natural Textile Industry (IVN) in Germany, Demeter in Europe and internationally, KRAV in Scandinavia,  and the Japan Organic Cotton Association (JOCA). Each has it’s own standards and provides certification once products have passed the certification process. 

The International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) is an organisation that joins 750 organic institutions worldwide and attempts to regulate the standards. IFOAM does not certify organic foods but its standards form the basis for many national organic requirements.

When shopping for organic clothing, you should look for “certified organic” on the label and details of the certification body. This will give further details on which body the products has been certified and details of the standards which have been applied.