OCS - Organic Content Standard

The Organic Content Standard (OCS) is issued by the non-profit Textile Exchange. It tracks organic raw materials (mainly organic cotton but also organic wool and others) along the entire supply chain and verifies the percentage in the end product. Two variants exist: OCS 100 for products with at least 95 % organic content and OCS Blended for products with 5 - 94.9 % organic content.

Unlike GOTS, OCS only regulates quantity and traceability of the organic fibres, not the chemical or social processing conditions. OCS is therefore less demanding but much easier to implement and is often used as an entry-level organic certification. Every link in the supply chain is audited by an accredited certifier; transaction certificates accompany every shipment. For end consumers an OCS label on the hangtag means: the stated organic content is independently verified, but there are no statements on dyeing, wastewater or working conditions. For brands OCS is often the precursor to GOTS.