GOTS-certified, organic or recycled merchandise: what the labels really say

A label answers the question “where does this material come from and under what specifications was it obtained?”. It covers a positive characteristic: an organic fibre, a recycled content, wood from sustainably managed forests. It is what can support an environmental claim.

A compliance test answers another question: “does this product meet a given rule?”. It checks, for example, the absence of certain chemical substances or suitability for contact with food. It is a condition for placing on the market or for safety, not an environmental commitment.

Confusing the two is common, and it is costly in credibility. Presenting a water bottle as “eco-friendly” because it has passed a food contact test amounts to confusing safety and the environment. Conversely, a textile label says nothing about how a product holds up in the dishwasher. Keep this grid in mind: each document answers one question, and one only.

Textiles account for most of the labels you will see on branded merchandise: T-shirts, sweatshirts, cotton bags, caps. Four acronyms come up, and they are not interchangeable.

• GOTS: certified organic textile, from fibre to finished product. Its scope covers the whole chain, not just the raw material.
• OCS – Organic Content Standard: certified organic fibre content. It attests to the presence of organic fibres in the product, without the “from fibre to finished product” scope specific to GOTS.
• GRS – Global Recycled Standard: certified recycled content. It is the label to look for behind a “recycled” claim.
• OEKO-TEX Standard 100: textile tested for harmful substances. It concerns what the fabric does not contain, not the organic or recycled origin of the fibre.

In practical terms, if your message is about organic cotton, look for GOTS or OCS. If it is about recycled material, look for GRS. If your concern is mainly the safety of a garment worn next to the skin, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 answers that question. To compare the textile families themselves, browse our customisable textiles.

Beyond textiles, two labels deserve your attention. FSC applies to wood or paper from sustainably managed forests. You will come across it on notebooks, pencils, wooden products or cardboard packaging. It qualifies the forest resource, not the rest of the product: an FSC notebook may have a cover or binding in another material.

The PETA – Vegan mention means “free from animal-derived materials”. It is of interest to organisations that pay attention to this criterion, for example for an accessory that looks like leather. It is not an environmental label in the strict sense: it answers a specific ethical question, without claiming anything about the replacement material used.

For notebooks and pads, often concerned by FSC, see our custom notebooks family and check the mention on each product page.

Tests and declarations accompany a large proportion of products. They are useful, but they do not tell the same story as a label:

• REACH: product tested under the European regulation on chemical substances.
• Food contact: tested for contact with food, which matters for a mug, a water bottle or a lunch box.
• Dishwasher: tested for dishwasher washing, valuable information on use.
• EN 71: tested to the European toy safety standard.
• RoHS, EMC, low voltage, radio equipment: checks specific to electronics, like UN 38.3 for a lithium battery intended for transport.
• EU declaration of conformity: the product complies with the European regulations applicable to it.

A special case: the sustainability declaration, which documents environmental commitments for a product. It is a self-declared document, to be read as such, and not a certification issued against a standard like GOTS or FSC.

Our rule is simple: only the certifications attested by the product’s documents are shown on its page. If a label is not there, we do not claim it, even if the product “looks like” a certified product.

On the product page, the real labels (FSC, OEKO-TEX, GOTS, OCS, GRS, PETA Vegan) appear as badges under the product title. Tests and declarations, which concern most items, are grouped in the tab dedicated to certifications. This separation follows exactly the distinction made in this guide: what qualifies the material on one side, what checks compliance on the other.

A label applies to a specific product, not to an entire family. Two identical-looking cotton bags can have different statuses. So check the page of the exact item you are ordering, not that of a similar model.

A certified product gives you an argument, provided you word it precisely. Name the label and what it covers: “GOTS-certified cotton bag” can be verified, “totally eco-friendly bag” cannot. Do not extend the certification beyond its scope: a label on the material applies neither to the marking, nor to transport, nor to your company.

Also keep a record of what you bought: the product reference, the certifications shown on its page at the time of the order. If a client or an employee asks you, you will have a factual answer. For the overall approach, materials and reusable products included, our eco-friendly promotional products page sets out the general framework, and the eco-friendly selection brings together the products concerned.