BSCI, WRAP, OEKO-TEX and GOTS: apparel compliance in plain English

Frequently asked questions

• What is BSCI certification?

  Strictly, an audit system rather than a certification: amfori BSCI audits factories against a code covering fair remuneration, working hours, freedom from child and forced labour, freedom of association, and health and safety, then grades the facility A through E. It's the most widely used social auditing system among European buyers specifically because it functions as an improvement system rather than a one-time pass/fail certificate — factories are expected to close gaps between audits, not simply hold a static badge. When vetting a supplier, ask for their most recent audit grade and the date it was issued, since grades can shift between cycles. A grade below C is worth direct questions about what the findings were and what corrective action has been taken, rather than an automatic disqualifier.

• What is the difference between BSCI and WRAP?

  Both cover social compliance — labour conditions, working hours, safety — but they're structured differently and favoured by different buyer markets. BSCI, run by amfori, is an audit-and-improvement system: factories are graded A to E rather than simply passing or failing, and it's the standard most commonly requested by European buyers. WRAP — Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production — is a genuine certification focused specifically on apparel and sewn products, issuing a one-year certificate to each production unit (its Platinum and Gold levels ended on 1 March 2026), and it's the standard North American buyers tend to ask for. Because WRAP issues a dated certificate rather than a grade, it's simpler to verify: you just check the certificate and its expiry. Export factories serving both markets commonly hold both certifications side by side, along with SMETA for UK retailers, since buyer geography drives which credential gets asked for.

• What does OEKO-TEX Standard 100 actually test?

  It's a laboratory test of the finished textile and everything sewn into it — fabric, thread, trims, prints — checked against a list of more than 1,000 harmful substances, including formaldehyde and restricted azo dyes. Garments are classified by how much skin contact they get: Class I covers articles for babies and children up to three years and carries the strictest limits, Class II covers skin-contact adult products like underwear and shirts. It's important to know this is a product certificate, not a factory certificate — a supplier holding an OEKO-TEX certification for one article doesn't mean every product they make is covered, so confirm the certificate actually names the article and components you're buying. Certificates carry a unique number precisely so buyers can verify them directly on the OEKO-TEX website rather than taking a supplier's word for it.

• Can I claim a garment is organic if the fabric is GOTS certified?

  Only if the entire chain, including the sewing factory itself, holds GOTS certification and issues a transaction certificate for that specific order. The standard certifies organic fibre content plus environmental and social criteria across every processing stage — ginning, spinning, dyeing, sewing — and its critical mechanic is chain of custody: every link has to be certified, not just the fibre or the fabric mill. So 'GOTS-certified fabric' cut and sewn in a factory that doesn't hold its own GOTS certification does not produce a GOTS garment, no matter how clean the fabric's paper trail is — a distinction that catches brands out constantly, because it sounds like the hard part is already covered. If you plan to make an organic claim, ask for the factory's scope certificate and a transaction certificate per order, not just a fabric-mill document.

• Do compliance certifications raise garment prices?

  Modestly. Maintaining audited labour standards, chemical-safe inputs and, in Bangladesh, the structural, fire and electrical remediation driven by the post-Rana Plaza inspection programme all carry real ongoing costs, and a compliant factory's pricing reflects that. But the premium is small measured against the risk it removes — a workplace incident, a failed chemical test, or a false organic claim can cost far more than the price difference ever saved. In practice, it's a useful pricing signal in the other direction too: a quote that comes in well below the compliant market for the same product usually means an unaudited facility is sitting somewhere in the supply chain, whether at the sewing factory or a subcontractor you were never told about. Treat an unusually cheap quote as a question to ask, not a discount to accept.

• How do I check a factory's certificates are real?

  Verify the certificate numbers directly on the issuing bodies' public databases — both OEKO-TEX and GOTS operate online certificate checks precisely so buyers don't have to take a supplier's document at face value. Then match the facility name and address on the certificate to where your goods are actually being produced, not just to the group's headline showcase factory; certificates cover a specific location, and a holding company can operate several sites of very different standards. Put a clause in your contract restricting production to that named, audited facility, since unauthorised subcontracting is the single most common way a compliant sourcing relationship quietly becomes non-compliant without anyone deciding it should. For organic or recycled claims specifically, ask for a transaction certificate on every order — that's the document an auditor, or a journalist, will actually ask to see.

Sources

1. 1.amfori BSCI — how the system works
2. 2.WRAP — certification programme
3. 3.WRAP — update to the certification programme (1 March 2026)
4. 4.OEKO-TEX — Standard 100 and certificate check
5. 5.Global Standards — Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
6. 6.RMG Sustainability Council (Bangladesh)