(continued from page 43)
OTA’s American Organic Standard (AOS) and the Global Organic Textile
Standards (GOTS). Because of this involvement, all his manufacturing mills
had to abide by the standards before the standards had officially been created.
In creating the standards, Mole and fellow organic companies looked globally to see what the varying standards of organic production were. They found
a variety of viewpoints about processing steps, like what kind of dyes should be
used, and started a dialogue in order to create a global standard. The standards were ratified and accepted in 2004 by the OTA and then it took another
year for any certifiers to come on board to certify to the standards. Soon after,
Vermont Organic Fiber Co. began certifying their mills. Then it was time to
take the standards to the next level and Mole worked with many others to
develop GOTS. The GOTS working group includes the International
Association Natural Textile Industry of Germany, the UK’s Soil Association, the
OTA, and the Japanese Organic Cotton Association (JOCA). Now Mole is get- Continuing Education
ting everyone certified throughout his supply chain, which takes time and The O~Wool slogan is: “Organic. It
involves training. It’s not so much about the materials as it’s about getting sup- just feels right,” communicating the
pliers to maintain proper records and handling procedures. message that buying organic wool can
“If everyone worked with the same organic standard it would make this a make you feel warm and fuzzy quite lit-much less confusing industry to navigate globally,” said Mole. “The goal is to erally because of its soft texture, as well
have the whole supply chain GOTS certified rather than having one part of it as figuratively, due to the fact that you
being AOS certified and an Australian mill being EU certified, for example. As are supporting earth and animal-brands, manufacturers and even consumers become better educated about friendly practices.
what GOTS means, it brings a level of transparency to organic fiber while elim- One way the Vermont Organic
inating consumer confusion,” said Mole. Fiber Co. is actively working to educate
green
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Mole sees a successful GOTS future
for his O~Wool. “It’s becoming very
well-regarded and accepted globally,”
he says. “Now we have brands that we
are developing programs with for the
future. They actually understand it and
say ‘well, we want our whole supply
chain GOTS certified.’ A year ago, I’d
have to provide an hour or two presentation on organic certification for
them, but now they’re coming to the
table much more educated.”
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