Global Standards Strengthens Governance With New Independent Foundation

The organisation behind the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) has announced a major governance restructure designed to strengthen the independence, transparency and long-term resilience of its sustainability standards.

Effective immediately, Global Standards has established the Global Standards Foundation, a new non-profit foundation that becomes the sole shareholder of the operating organisation, now renamed Global Standards gGmbH. The move is intended to ensure that strategic decisions are guided by independent expertise while supporting the organisation’s mission to advance more sustainable textile value chains in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

At the heart of the new structure is the creation of an independent Governing Council, bringing together sustainability leaders and experts from across certification, finance, governance, public policy and the global textile sector. Alongside representatives from the four founding organisations, the inaugural council includes respected figures such as Prof. Dr. Christian Berg, formerly Chief Sustainability Architect at SAP; Pietro Bertazzi of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP); Laurence Tanty, former Chair of the Fairtrade International Board; and Georg Schürmann, former Managing Director of Triodos Bank Germany. Herbert Ladwig will serve as the council’s founding chair.

The governance overhaul reflects Global Standards’ evolution over the past two decades from overseeing a single certification programme to becoming a broader voluntary sustainability standards organisation. While GOTS remains the world’s leading standard for organic textiles, the organisation has recently expanded its portfolio with the introduction of the Global Responsible Textile Standard (GRTS), covering fibres beyond organic materials.

The timing is significant as the textile and fashion industry faces increasing scrutiny around sustainability claims and growing regulatory requirements worldwide. Independent governance is becoming an increasingly important factor in maintaining the credibility of voluntary sustainability standards, with brands, manufacturers and consumers demanding greater transparency and accountability.

Global Standards says the new foundation model has been designed to meet these rising expectations while providing the organisation with the stability and independence needed to support the sector over the long term.

Today, the organisation employs around 50 sustainability professionals working internationally with a mission to drive higher social and environmental performance across textile supply chains through voluntary sustainability standards and related programmes.

By separating strategic governance through an independent foundation while continuing to develop standards such as GOTS and GRTS, Global Standards aims to reinforce confidence in third-party certification at a time when robust verification is becoming increasingly central to the future of sustainable fashion.