The Global Organic Textile Standard has recently hosted a popular roundtable for the textile sector in Charleston, SC, US. The GOTS roundtable takes place around the globe to connect the stakeholders and to help them with the opportunities and facilitate a feedback to the GOTS GOTS on specific sectorial or regional needs.
The roundtable attracted brands, trade associations, textile manufacturers, organic certification agencies, and organic cotton farmers. The attendees heard and discussed presentations on topics ranging from general 2017 GOTS progress, particularly in the apparel and home textiles sector, to supply chain integrity, current and future markets, and international opportunities.
From the Organic Trade Association (OTA), one of the GOTS founding organizations and co-host of the roundtable, Gwendolyn Wyard talked about how GOTS intersects with United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program and Monique Marez reported on OTA’s recent marketing survey; why today’s millennial consumer is tomorrow’s organic parent.
Best practice examples how GOTS strengthens the US textile and apparel industry were presented by Marci Zaroff (Metawear) and Eileen Mockus (Coyuchi), both US pioneer enterprises. Furthermore, Angela Wartes-Kahl from Oregon Tilth Certification Organisation (OTCO), one of the GOTS accredited third party certifiers presented on how you can safeguard your company from “Greenwashing” through third-party verification.
