The word eco-friendly has no legal definition in India. Neither does natural, conscious, green, ethical, pure or sustainable. A brand can print any of them on a label without holding a single certificate, and most do.
There are, however, four marks that mean something specific and checkable. Here is what each one covers, what it does not, and how to verify it yourself before you pay a premium for a claim.
GOTS: the strictest of the four
GOTS stands for Global Organic Textile Standard. It is the most demanding textile certification in commercial use, and importantly it covers the entire chain from raw fibre to finished garment, not just the farm.
What it certifies:
- The fibre is certified organic, meaning grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers and without genetically modified seed.
- No chlorine bleach, no formaldehyde, no carcinogenic azo dyes, no heavy-metal dyes at any processing stage.
- Wastewater from every wet-processing facility is treated before discharge.
- Social criteria: no child labour, no forced labour, freedom of association, safe working conditions, wages that meet at least the legal minimum.
The two grades matter. A product labelled organic must contain at least ninety-five percent certified organic fibre. A product labelled made with organic needs only seventy percent. Both are real; they are not the same thing, and brands rarely volunteer which one they hold.
How to verify: a genuine GOTS product carries the label grade and the licence number of the certified entity. Take that number to the GOTS public database at global-standard.org and search it. It takes under a minute and returns the certified company, the scope of their certification and its validity dates. A logo without a licence number is decoration.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100: safety, not sustainability
This is the most commonly misread mark on the list. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 tests the finished textile for harmful substances and confirms that every component, including thread, buttons and prints, is below defined limits for skin contact.
What it does not tell you: whether the cotton was organic, whether the river next to the dyehouse survived, whether anyone was paid properly, or whether the fabric is natural at all. A polyester garment made in a conventional mill can hold Standard 100 quite legitimately.
It is a genuinely useful mark, particularly for anything worn against sensitive skin or by children. It is a chemical safety certificate, not an environmental or ethical one, and it should not be priced as though it were.
Azo-free: what it actually means
Azo dyes are the largest family of synthetic dyes and most of them are perfectly safe. The problem is a specific subset that can break down into aromatic amines, some of which are classified as carcinogenic. These have been banned in the EU since 2002 and are restricted in India.
So azo-free is a real and meaningful claim, but it is also close to a legal baseline rather than an achievement. Treat it as a floor. A brand marketing azo-free as its headline environmental credential is telling you it has nothing stronger.
Vegetable-dyed and naturally dyed are different claims again, and neither is certified by anyone. A natural dye can still be fixed with a heavy-metal mordant. If natural dye is the selling point, ask what the mordant is; alum and iron are the responsible answers. Our guide to colour run and natural dye behaviour covers what to expect from these fabrics in the wash.
Handloom Mark and India Handloom Brand
These are Indian government marks and they certify a fact, not an ethic: that the fabric was woven on a handloom rather than a powerloom. India Handloom Brand goes further and adds quality, defect and dye-safety criteria on top.
Neither certifies organic fibre, wages or wastewater. They are the answer to one question only, and it happens to be the question most often lied about in Indian retail. We set out the physical checks that back this up in handloom versus powerloom. Khadi has its own separate mark from KVIC, covered in our khadi guide.
Seven phrases that certify nothing
- Eco-friendly. No definition, no standard, no auditor.
- Natural. Arsenic is natural. The word describes origin, not safety or impact.
- Chemical-free. Physically impossible. Water is a chemical.
- Pure cotton. Means one hundred percent cotton fibre. Says nothing about how it was grown or dyed.
- Sustainably sourced. Sourced from where, verified by whom.
- Artisan-made. Real when specific about craft and place. Meaningless when it is not.
- Biodegradable. Almost everything biodegrades eventually. The question is in what conditions and over what period.
A one-minute check before you buy
- Look for a named standard rather than an adjective. GOTS, OEKO-TEX, Handloom Mark, Fairtrade, KVIC.
- Find the licence or certificate number. No number, no claim.
- Search the number in the issuing body's public database.
- Check which grade the certification is, particularly for GOTS.
- Check what the certificate covers. Some brands hold a certificate on one fabric and imply it across the catalogue.
- Ask where it was dyed. Fibre certification is undone by an unregulated dyehouse, and this is the least documented step in Indian textiles.
Our own position, stated plainly
We do not currently hold GOTS or OEKO-TEX certification. Certification is expensive, and at our scale the cost per garment would be significant, so we have not pursued it yet.
We would rather say that than imply otherwise. What we can tell you is specific: our cotton is homegrown and grown in India, our block printing and dyeing are done by named workshops in and around Ahmedabad, our dyes are azo-free, and our runs are small enough that we know how many of each piece exist. The detail is in How We Make Things and From Field to Fabric.
Apply the checks above to us as readily as to anyone else. A brand that objects to being audited by its own customers is telling you something.
Common questions
What does GOTS certified actually mean?
That the fibre is certified organic and that every processing stage from fibre to finished garment met restrictions on chemicals, wastewater treatment and labour conditions. Products labelled organic contain at least ninety-five percent organic fibre; made with organic requires seventy percent.
How do I check if a GOTS label is genuine?
Find the licence number printed alongside the logo and search it in the public database at global-standard.org. It returns the certified company and the validity of the certificate. A logo without a licence number cannot be verified.
Is OEKO-TEX the same as organic?
No. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 confirms the finished fabric is free of harmful substances at levels defined for skin contact. It says nothing about organic farming, water use, wages or whether the fabric is natural. A polyester garment can hold it.
Are azo-free dyes safe?
Azo-free means the dyes exclude the subset of azo compounds that break down into carcinogenic aromatic amines, which are already restricted in India and banned in the EU. It is a meaningful claim but close to a legal minimum rather than a distinction.
Does natural dye mean chemical-free?
No. Natural dyes need a mordant to fix colour to fibre, and some mordants are heavy metals. Alum and iron are the responsible choices. Natural dye is not a certified category, so ask what the mordant is.
More on how House of Falguni works in made slowly, made to last.
Our cotton is homegrown, our dyes are azo-free, and our workshops are named. Apply the checks above to what we make too.
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