GOTS at Georg Werner: Which products contain organic cotton – and which do not

"Organic cotton" is written on quite a few labels. But what does that actually mean – and does it apply to every product from a brand, or only to some? At GeorgWerner, the honest answer is: not to everything. And that is exactly what we want to make transparent here, rather than keeping it quiet.

We often get asked: "Is this really organic, or is that just a marketing term?" Rightfully so – the term is being used in an inflationary way. That is why we are breaking it down honestly: which of our products are GOTS-certified, which are not, and why.

Our cotton products: GOTS-certified organic cotton

Everything we make from cotton – T-shirts as well as some of our sports shirts – consists of GOTS-certified organic cotton. This applies regardless of whether "organic" is explicitly in the product name: the entire cotton portion of our assortment comes through the same certified supplier. Specifically, this means at least 95% of the fibers originate from certified organic farming – without synthetic pesticides, without genetic engineering, using crop rotation instead of monoculture. Dyeing, bleaching, and finishing must also be carried out with strict limits for chemicals, wastewater must be treated, and minimum social standards apply throughout the entire production chain. We explain the full criteria in detail in What is GOTS certification?

How do we know this? Our supplier documentation

We asked our production partners directly how they ensure GOTS certifications instead of just relying on manufacturer statements. Printful confirms to us in writing that they require valid third-party certificates such as GOTS, OCS, and GRS from all eco-suppliers before a product is listed in their eco-friendly line (Source: Printful Help Center). Our second partner, Spreadconnect, refers to the manufacturer Stanley/Stella for concrete proof: they label GOTS-certified products individually with a license number (Control Union CU 819434) and provide the certificate publicly for reference (Source: Stanley/Stella certifications).

What neither partner provides us with is a certificate number for every single order or product batch – manufacturers keep that to themselves for confidentiality reasons, which is standard in the industry. What we receive instead are publicly viewable, externally audited proofs at the manufacturer level. For us, this is currently the most honest form of verification we can offer without claiming something we cannot show in black and white.

Not every product is made of cotton: our functional wear

Here is where it gets honest: some of our sports jerseys are not made of cotton, but of breathable polyester mesh. That is not negligence, but a deliberate material decision per product. GOTS applies exclusively to natural fibers – for a jersey that needs to wick moisture away from the skin during training and remain breathable, cotton is not always the right material. Therefore, other standards apply to these functional products: GRS (Global Recycled Standard) for recycled fiber content and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 for tested freedom from harmful substances. Which material a specific product actually has – cotton or polyester mesh – is always stated in the respective product description, as this differs from item to item, not generically by category. Why functional clothing sometimes requires different rules is explained in more detail in Sportswear Print on Demand: Why functional fabrics need different rules.

And what about polyester? What we can specifically prove

Here too, we wanted to know exactly, instead of just writing "GRS and OEKO-TEX apply here." Our sports jerseys (e.g., the SurfLegend and AW series) are processed through Printful and are based on the SOL'S 11939 blank. According to the manufacturer's data sheet, this polyester mesh is OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified (reference CQ 1094/1 IFTH) – this confirms it is free of harmful substances, but not recycled content. It is standard polyester, not the separately maintained "recycled" variant from Printful's catalog.

Our JAKO jerseys (e.g., Skydive, BaseJump, MotoX, WingSuit), on the other hand, go through Spreadconnect. The manufacturer JAKO states "100% polyester (recycled)" as the material on its own product page (Source: JAKO product page) and confirms on its sustainability page that it uses recycled polyester as a central sustainable material and requires external certificates or test reports for it (Source: JAKO Sustainability). A concrete certificate number for this specific product is not currently available to us – unlike with our organic cotton. As soon as we have it, we will add it here.

Why we make no compromises in our communication here

It would be easier to just write "sustainable" or "organic" everywhere and hope that no one looks closer. We don't do that because false certification claims are exactly the problem we want to fight: greenwashing, which makes genuine sustainability work unbelievable. That is why only products that are actually GOTS-certified organic cotton get the GOTS seal from us – and for everything else, we clearly state which material and which standard apply instead.

However, the same basic principle applies to both material lines: print-on-demand without surplus, motifs that the creative mind behind GeorgWerner develops with AI tools, but curates and takes responsibility for themselves – no stock designs, no stolen prints. Honest material for honest design, whether cotton or functional fabric.

The next time you see a GOTS seal on a piece of clothing, you now know what it really stands for – and why it simply cannot be on every label without diluting its meaning.