GOTS is internationally known as the quality trade mark for organic textile products, such as cotton in clothing but also bed and bath products.

GOTS places strict demands on environmental aspects and social conditions during the entire production process: starting with the cotton project Chetna, the ginner, spinner, wet processing, CMT up to and including the product in the packaging.

Independent auditors on site in India regularly check with our stakeholders on the environmental requirements, product processing at all levels and the social conditions of the people who make the products.

The entire production chain, including Fair&Co bv, has GOTS certification.

Products with the Max Havelaar Fairtrade quality mark guarantee that purchases have been made at a fair price under fair trading conditions.

Agreements on price and purchase guarantees with small-scale farms in developing countries (in our case in India) enable them to live from their work, but also to invest further in a sustainable future.

Annually, part of the Fairtrade contribution we pay for cotton in India is spent on local water supplies, training and information, as well as childcare and education.

Because of the way we work, our entire production chain is both Fairtrade and GOTS certified.
These certificates safeguard 100% fair and guaranteed production.

Our organic production is made exclusively with certified cotton from the Chetna Organic and Agriculture project.

Chetna originated in 2008 from an initiative of SOLIDARIDAD, with Dutch initiators Fair&Co BV and The Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills as the first and largest customer of Chetna organic cotton.

Our stakeholder The Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills is now a financial partner of this Chetna project.
Chetna Agriculture project is a cooperative of more than 16,000 farmers who also take care of their organic seeding.

This organic cotton is also Fairtrade certified, i.e. the farmers receive a minimum price for their cotton and the guarantee that their entire harvest will also be purchased.
For the construction of subsequent harvests, they have an Eco laboratory and garden where they assess the newly created cotton by mixing the seeds of the different harvests.

This has led to Chetna organic cotton being one of the highest quality organic cotton available in all global markets.
And this development undeniably goes further and will develop better organic cotton for future generations. Therefore, it is a unique self-supporting organic cotton supply.

The Chetna organic cotton is long-staple with a high whiteness level straight from the raw cotton. After CMT, our production still gets a bio washing, a mixture of GOTS softeners & enzymes to give the article a top quality soft hand feel.

BSCI is an initiative of companies committed to better working conditions across their global supply chain.

BSCI offers companies a code of conduct that supports them in their efforts to establish an ethical supply chain.
This code of conduct is based on international conventions that protect workers' rights, regarding the following key concepts: a socially responsible policy, freedom of association, working hours and overtime, non-discrimination, combating child labour and forced labour, special protection for young workers, payment of a minimum wage, facilities for a safe and healthy workplace, environmental protection and no precarious employment

Our Fair&Co office is also BSCI certified.

Social Accountability 8000 - https://sa-intl.org/

SA8000 is the world's leading international standard for corporate social responsibility
This concerns verifiable certification, based on international standards for the working environment as laid down in the conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This characterizes companies that value the rights and well-being of employees.
A company that has received the SA8000 certificate guarantees a safe working environment and good working conditions appropriate to local circumstances to the outside world and to its own employees.

The SA8000 certificate of The Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills (RCM) is very important to Approvato & Fair&Co because it demonstrates that we offer safe and good working conditions in our factory in India.
A safe workplace and good conditions for employees increase working morale and improved communication between the manager and the employee.

The SA8000 certificate indicates that the company supports the abolition of child labour. Fair&Co wants to ensure the development of all employees and wants to help them maintain a good standard of living. The SA8000 certification of the RCM factories in India establishes the good and safe working conditions in the factories for business partners and customers.

For SA 8000 audits the production location of RCM in India is checked annually by external partners. One of the audits is an announced visit and the other annual audit involves an unexpected audit team. The checks are carried out very thoroughly and usually take 2-3 whole days. Each audit involves reviewing a wide variety of documents and contracts, and conducting on-site inspections, employee interviews and checks with unions and local authorities.

https://www.greenpeace.org/international/act/detox/

Greenpeace certification for the safe, environmentally responsible dyeing and bleaching of fabrics.
Reuse of water and energy and degradable colour and dyes are central to this.

Toxic chemical pollution is a life-threatening issue for large population in East Asia. Hundreds of millions of people lack access to clean drinking water.
The factories, despite the contribution to wealth, also inflict serious pollution on India's precious water resources.

The extensive dumping and discharge of toxic chemicals from industrial wastewater has poisoned entire rivers, groundwater, nature and the people who depend on it.

It is a challenge to contain and rather eliminate all releases of hazardous and noxious chemicals as much as possible. Which is a major step forward for people and the environment.