Organic, Recycled or Harmful-Substance Tested? A Buyer’s Evidence Check

Illustrative image. Final specifications confirmed at quotation.

A home-textile importer or established private-label brand may need to substantiate several claims across a collection. Organic content, recycled content and harmful-substance testing answer different questions, so each proposed statement needs its own evidence trail.

Start with the wording your sales channels will use and the exact product it describes. Confirm the scope before artwork, wholesale product sheets or listings are approved.

Organic textile claims

Identify the fibre and the specific certification or claim being proposed. GOTS is a certification programme for textiles made with organic fibres and covers processing stages through the supply chain.

Check the applicable programme information and product scope. A company-level claim needs to be connected to the goods you are actually buying; ask what documentation is appropriate for the order rather than relying on a logo alone.

Recycled-content claims

Clarify which component contains recycled material and the stated amount. Ask for evidence that supports that specific description.

Do not assume that recycled content establishes organic status, a particular care process or the service life you need. Those remain separate questions.

Testing for harmful substances

OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 has a defined harmful-substance testing scope. Use the programme’s official verification route and match the information to the article being offered.

Keep other requirements, such as dimensions, fit, colour performance and laundry compatibility, in the buying specification rather than assuming the certification answers them.

Connect the evidence to each collection product and claim

• Claim: the exact wording required or proposed
• Subject: the complete product, a component or packaging
• Evidence: the document, test or certification reference
• Scope: which article and transaction the evidence covers
• Use: how the wording may be presented in the intended market

If the evidence answers a different question, keep the original requirement open. Keep the agreed wording available to buying, packaging and sales teams, including the wholesale customers who will describe the product in their own channels.

This is a buyer’s evidence guide, not a statement that Casa or any Casa product holds the certifications discussed. Product-specific requirements must be confirmed and evidenced for the particular enquiry.

Official programme references: How GOTS works and OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100.

Raise the evidence requirements for your textile collection.