"Organic cotton" gets used loosely on brand websites, and the loose usage matters when a retailer or a customs officer wants to see the paperwork behind the claim. This page explains what actually certifies cotton as organic, the difference between OCS and GOTS, where our organic cotton comes from, and what we manufacture with it.
What Makes Cotton Organic?
Organic cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilisers, or GMO seed, under a certified production system that also mandates crop rotation, soil health practices, and specific handling procedures during ginning, spinning and further processing to prevent contamination with conventional fibre. Certification is the enforcement mechanism. Two standards dominate:
OCS (Organic Content Standard)
Textile Exchange programme. OCS certifies:
- The organic content of a final textile product (verified organic input)
- The chain of custody of that organic input, from certified organic farm through ginning, spinning, knitting, dyeing and cut-and-sew
- Two tiers: OCS 100 (95%+ organic content) and OCS Blended (5-94% organic content)
What OCS does not cover: the wet-processing chemistry (which dyes, auxiliaries or finishing chemicals were used), and the social criteria along the chain (labour conditions in the spinning mill, for example). Those are OCS's honest limits.
GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)
Stricter. GOTS certifies:
- The organic content and chain of custody (same as OCS)
- Plus the wet-processing chemistry, all dyes, auxiliaries, and finishing chemicals must be on the GOTS-approved positive list
- Plus social criteria across the whole processing chain, no child labour, no forced labour, fair wages, safe working conditions at every certified processing step
- Two tiers: GOTS Organic (95%+ organic content) and GOTS made with organic (70%+ organic content)
GOTS is the tighter promise. It is also more expensive, because the wet-processing chemistry list is narrower and often more expensive per kg of fabric, and because full GOTS batches have to be run in dye houses on segregated, non-contaminated equipment. This drives up minimum production quantities.
Which Should Your Brand Use?
Blunt answer:
- OCS is enough if your retail buyer requires "verified organic content" and you want the ability to say "grown organically, chain of custody documented from farm to garment."
- GOTS is required if the retail buyer specifically asks for GOTS (some German and Nordic sustainable-fashion retailers do), or if you want the added chemistry and social layer for your own sustainability positioning.
Where Our Organic Cotton Comes From
Primary sourcing: Turkish organic cotton, grown in the Aegean region of western Türkiye, mainly around Söke and the Aydın province. Turkish organic cotton has been certified continuously since the mid-1990s and represents a mature, well-audited supply base. Ginning happens in local ginning plants. Spinning at Turkish mills we've worked with for years. Knitting at our partner mills within Istanbul. Dyeing at our long-term partner dye houses in the Istanbul industrial zone.
Backup sourcing: certified organic cotton from India (for long-staple availability) and Egypt (for extra-long-staple Giza cotton) for specific fibre-length or yarn-count needs. Both audited to OCS / GOTS at farm and gin level.
The Farm-to-Garment Journey
- Certified organic cotton farm (audited by an accredited certification body)
- Ginning facility (segregated line, transaction certificate issued for each lot)
- Spinning mill (OCS/GOTS-certified, segregated production run)
- Knitting mill (OCS/GOTS-certified, transaction certificate for each fabric roll)
- Dyeing and finishing (dye house scope certified, with GOTS-approved chemistry if GOTS)
- ICF cutting, sewing, printing, packing (our scope certificate covers this step)
- Finished garment with transaction certificate documenting the full chain
The transaction certificate at delivery is what your retail buyer or auditor will want to see. We provide it as standard on organic orders.
What We Manufacture in Organic Cotton
Every fabric structure in our library is available in organic cotton:
- Single jersey 180-260 GSM (t-shirts, tanks, base layers)
- French terry 240-420 GSM (hoodies, joggers, crewnecks)
- Brushback loopback fleece 300-500 GSM (heavier hoodies, sweat shorts)
- 1x1 rib, 2x2 rib (necklines, cuffs, layering pieces)
- Cotton pique (polos, structured tees)
- Cotton-elastane organic blends (fitted tees, women's essentials)
- Cotton-modal organic blends (softer-hand premium tees)
Frequently Asked Questions
OCS (organic content + chain of custody) and GOTS (adds wet-processing chemistry and social criteria across the chain). GOTS is stricter; OCS is often sufficient.
Primarily Turkish organic cotton from the Aegean region (Söke, Aydın), with backup sourcing from Indian and Egyptian organic cotton at similar certification levels.
Every knit in our library: single jersey 180-260 GSM, French terry 240-420 GSM, brushback fleece 300-500 GSM, ribs, pique, plus cotton-elastane and cotton-modal organic blends.
OCS is roughly 5-10% over conventional cotton fabric. GOTS adds another 5-15% because the approved dye chemistry is narrower and full GOTS batches require segregated wet-processing runs.