On 12th Sept 2022, Textile Exchange published ASR-106-V2.2 Accepted Equivalent Standards, effective immediately, implementing changes to the policy relevant to the Organic Content Standard (OCS). These changes will be mandatory from 1st Dec. 2022.
As of December 1, 2022, OCS will mandatorily require that site inputs from Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), provide traceability of all transaction certificate data back to the original farm source (e.g. full transaction certificate data including product and input product) and farm input data (e.g. farm capacity).
Additionally, in order to decisively prevent fraud and to provide a double safety net, all first processors (e.g. cotton gins) that ultimately provide GOTS inputs into an OCS product down the supply chain shall be certified to the OCS and provide evidence of all inputs from farms.
To minimize business disruptions and resolve possible data sharing concerns, Textile Exchange recommend that all sites not currently certified to OCS begin the necessary steps to become OCS certified to ensure that data may be clearly shared through their certification bodies with Textile Exchange. To facilitate this (and the requirement for first processors to become OCS certified), through June 30, 2023, Textile Exchange is waiving OCS certification fees for any site that is currently GOTS certified and decides to add OCS certification (this is not applicable if site already has OCS & GOTS certificates).
