Organic claims are among the most commonly mis-stated in garment sourcing, and a GOTS scope certificate is the document most often waved at a buyer without being read. It is a specific document with specific limits, and it takes about ninety seconds to check.
Field 1 — who is the certificate holder?
The certificate names one organisation. If that organisation is the mill that knitted the fabric and not the factory sewing your garment, the certificate covers the fabric, not your order. Both can be true at once, but they are different claims.
Field 2 — what process category is listed?
This is the field buyers skip and the one that matters most. GOTS certification is granted per process category. Common categories include trading, manufacturing (further split into weaving, knitting, dyeing, printing, sewing and so on), and garment manufacturing.
A scope certificate that lists only trading means the holder is certified to buy and sell certified goods — not to manufacture them. That is a legitimate and useful thing to be, but it is a different claim from "our factory is GOTS certified", and a buyer repeating the stronger version is overstating.
Field 3 — what product categories are listed?
GOTS lists product categories by code. Apparel categories are usually split into men's, women's, babies' and children's, with home textiles separate. If your product is infant apparel, check that the babies' apparel category is listed — not just "textiles" or a general apparel line.
Field 4 — is it still valid?
Scope certificates carry an explicit validity period and are re-issued annually after an audit. The date is printed on the certificate. A certificate that expired six months ago describes a state of affairs that no longer holds, regardless of how good the certificate looked when it was issued.
Ask for the current document, and ask for it every year. Certificates are not permanent credentials.
Field 5 — can you verify it independently?
Every GOTS scope certificate carries a scope certificate number and a licence number. Both are verifiable through the GOTS public database. A PDF with a plausible layout is not verification; a database lookup is.
What a scope certificate does not tell you
- It does not certify a specific garment. It certifies an organisation's capability to handle certified goods within a defined scope.
- It does not mean everything the holder makes is organic. It means the holder is certified to trade or process organic goods under the standard's chain-of-custody rules.
- It does not replace a transaction certificate. For a specific shipment, the document that traces the organic content through the supply chain is a transaction certificate, not the scope certificate.
- It does not cover social or chemical requirements beyond what the standard itself specifies.
A checklist you can paste into an email
- Please send the current GOTS scope certificate, including the page showing the validity dates.
- Which process categories are listed on it?
- Which product categories are listed, by code?
- Will the certificate still be valid on the date of shipment?
- Will a transaction certificate be issued for this order?
Our certifications page lists every document on file with its holder, scope, certificate number, issue date and printed expiry date — including the ones that have expired, marked as expired. It is a shorter list than most factories publish, and it is accurate.