What the GOTS Label Grades Mean on Clothing: 'Organic' vs 'Made with Organic (Materials)', In-Conversion Grades, and Which Claims Are Not Allowed

The GOTS label — the logo and wordmark of the Global Organic Textile Standard — appears on clothing tags, but the small print around it is where the real information lives. According to GOTS's own labelling guidance, a label grade tells you how much certified organic fibre a product contains, and every grade must be printed alongside two further details: a reference to the certification body and a certification number. Together, those elements are what make a GOTS claim checkable rather than a matter of trust.

This explainer walks through the four grades GOTS defines, what a compliant label and online listing must show, and which claims GOTS itself rules out. All requirements below are as stated in the GOTS labelling guidance on global-standard.org as captured on September 11, 2026; standards bodies revise their rules, so it is worth checking the current version before relying on a detail.

The four label grades

GOTS distinguishes products by fibre content and by whether the organic fibres are fully certified or in conversion. The four grades, as listed in the labelling guidance, are:

• "Organic" — 95%+ certified organic fibres
• "Organic in-conversion" — 95%+ certified organic in-conversion fibres
• "Made with x% organic materials" — 70–94% certified organic fibres
• "Made with x% organic in-conversion materials" — 70–94% certified organic in-conversion fibres

The practical difference is straightforward: a garment labelled "Organic" contains 95% or more certified organic fibres, while a "Made with x% organic materials" grade signals a product whose certified organic fibre content falls in the 70–94% range. The in-conversion grades work the same way but apply to fibre GOTS calls certified organic in-conversion fibres.

What a label must show

The percentage alone is not enough. Per GOTS's guidance, a GOTS product label must always include the GOTS logo, the correct label grade, a reference to the certification body, and the certification number of the certified entity. The logo must remain readable, correctly proportioned and visible at the point of sale. GOTS says the certification body and number matter because they allow the product to be traced back through all certified facilities — what the standard calls complete transparency from fibre to finished product.

What online listings must show

For online shops, GOTS applies the same elements to the product listing page. GOTS says information online must match the physical product listing, and that a certified product listing must include the logo, the grade, the certification body reference and the certification number — though the exact placement does not matter as long as it is easily visible. Two further placement rules from the guidance: GOTS signs shall not be used in website headers and footers, and the logo may only appear in direct association with certified products or certification-related content.

The claims GOTS does not allow

Two common shorthands are explicitly rejected in GOTS's labelling guidance:

• "GOTS cotton" and "GOTS-certified organic cotton" — GOTS explains that it is not an organic cotton standard: certification covers the processing of textile goods made with organic fibres, not raw cotton itself, and organic raw fibres must be certified by an accepted external organic certification before entering the GOTS chain of custody.
• "Made with GOTS-certified fabric/yarn/other components" — GOTS says partial certification cannot be represented as full product certification, and that if GOTS-certified fabric is sewn in an uncertified facility the chain of custody is broken and the final product is not considered certified.

These exclusions follow from how GOTS works, as described on the same page: the standard sets requirements for the entire textile value chain — spinning, weaving and knitting, wet-processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling and trading — and for an end product to carry a GOTS label, every company that is part of the process must be certified. GOTS states that onsite inspection and certification of processors, manufacturers and traders is performed by independent third-party certification bodies.

How to check a GOTS claim yourself

When you see the GOTS logo on a product page or a care label, look for the full set of details: the grade wording matching one of the four official grades, a named certification body, and a certification number. If the product page says only "GOTS cotton" or refers to GOTS-certified fabric without full product certification, that wording does not match GOTS's own labelling rules. For online purchases, confirm the logo, grade and certification details appear on the product listing page itself — not just in a site banner — and that the wording matches the physical label when the item arrives. If anything is unclear, the certification body and number on the label are the reference points for verifying the certification; requirements can change between standard revisions, so compare against the current GOTS labelling guidance rather than this article alone.