Dedicated to promoting organic and sustainable fabric for the quilting and sewing arts

Standards and Certifications

Organic Certification 

"Certified organic products cater for higher income options for farmers, and therefore, can serve as promoters for climate-friendly farming practices worldwide."
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Organic certification is necessary to protect the integrity of the organic production process. Certification is mutually beneficial for everyone involved in an organic cotton supply chain to ensure integrity in their processing and labeling.

All of the cotton fabric sold at HoneyBeGood is certified organic by one of the following two leading certification agencies. Look for the certifying entity on the fabric product descriptions. We are happy to provide a copy of the organic certificate on the organic cotton fabrics we carry. Please email us with your request.

 


The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is the world’s leading organic textile processing standard. It ensures that textiles are truly organic at every stage of production - from ginning, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labelling of the final product. GOTS makes sure that:
  • Inputs in processing such as dyes and inks comply with strict biodegradability and toxicity requirements
  • Factories have functioning waste water treatment plants to protect local ecosystems and water supplies
  • Products do not contain any allergenic, carcinogenic or toxic chemical residues
  • Core International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions must be met throughout manufacture and a social compliance management system must be set up
GOTS certifies thousands of textile businesses around the world and is fast becoming the accepted standard for truly organic textiles. In fact in the USA, where textile products labeled as ‘organic’ are legally required to be certified organic from production to processing, GOTS is an officially recognized standard. More information about GOTS.

 


The Organic Content Standard (OCS) (formerly OE)

The Organic Content Standard (OCS) relies on third-party verification to verify a final product contains the accurate amount of a given organically grown material. It does not address the use of chemicals or any social or environmental aspects of production beyond the integrity of the organic material. More information about OCS.


OEKO-TEX® Standard

OEKO-TEX® Standard 100

The OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is an independent testing and certification system for textile raw materials, intermediate and end products at all stages of production. Examples for items eligible for certification: Raw and dyed/finished yarns, raw and dyed/finished fabrics and knits, ready-made articles (all types of clothing, domestic and household textiles, bed linen, terry cloth items, textile toys and more).

 

Laboratory tests and product classes

OEKO-TEX® testing for harmful substances always focus on the actual use of the textile. The more intensive the skin contact of a product, the stricter the human ecological requirements to be met.

Accordingly there are four product classes:

  • Product class I: Textile items for babies and toddlers up to 3 years (clothing, toys, bed linen, terry cloth items etc.)
  • Product class IITextiles used close to the skin (underwear, bed linen, T-shirts etc.)
  • Product class III: Textiles used away from the skin (jackets, coats etc.)
  • Product class IV: Furnishing materials (curtains, table cloths, upholstery materials etc.)

Certification

The requirement for certification of textile products according to OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is that all components of an item have to comply with the required criteria without exception – that means in addition to the outer material also sewing threads, linings, prints etc. as well as non-textile accessories such as buttons, zip fasteners, rivets etc. More information about the Oeko-Tex Standard



Other

Sustainable/Biodegradable Products

Sustainable Biodegradable Products® Product Development Transparency

The SBP® label is a product development transparency guideline developed by the SBP® Project Team at EnviroTextiles LLC®. The SBP® label informs the consumer about each step that takes place when a product is made, from the raw materials used to the labor conditions involved. By revealing this information, they are able to show how ecologically beneficial a product truly is and how socially responsible the processes are in the development of the product.  More information about SBP.