How to Check a Certification Claim

A listing that says “certified” is making a claim. Most certifiers publish a public record you can search in a few minutes. Here is how we check the four we use most. Always check three things on the record: who holds it, what it covers and when it expires.

GOTS (organic textiles)

1. Find the certificate number or the company name on the listing. A listing with neither is a claim you cannot check.
2. Open the GOTS Certified Suppliers Database at global-standards.org and search the number or the company name.
3. Open the record and read the certification number, the expiry date and the product details. For sheets, look for “Bed linen, bed sheets” and organic cotton.
4. Note that the database lists companies, not individual products. A record shows the holder is certified for that kind of product, not that every item it sells is.

A detail we found: one listing called its GOTS number a “scope certificate number”, while the database showed the same number as the certification body’s client number. The record was real; the label was off.

OEKO-TEX Standard 100

1. Copy the label number from the listing (it looks like 18.HPK.48415).
2. Enter it in the Label Check at oeko-tex.com. Numbers are case sensitive.
3. Read who owns the certificate and the type of article it covers. The holder is often a mill, not the brand you are buying from.

OEKO-TEX tests finished textiles for harmful substances. It does not mean the cotton is organic.

EPA Safer Choice (cleaning and laundry products)

1. Open the Safer Choice product search at epa.gov/saferchoice/products.
2. Filter by product type (for example Laundry Products: Laundry Detergents) and look for the exact product name.
3. A brand can have listed and unlisted products. Match the name, not just the brand.

FSC (wood and paper)

1. Open the FSC search at search.fsc.org and enter the company name, licence code or certificate code.
2. Check that the status is Valid and note the expiry date.
3. A chain-of-custody certificate is a record about the company. Where the product list is shown, check that the product type is on it.

What to write down

• Independently verified: you found a record and the holder, scope and date match.
• Manufacturer states: the listing says so and you did not or could not check.
• Not verified: you looked and could not match it.

A search with no result means “no record found on that date”. It is not proof the product is uncertified, and a record is not proof the product performs well. General information, not medical advice.

See how we use this in our method.