The Germany-based Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), which regulates the organic status of textiles worldwide, has banned five Indian cotton companies for two years after uncovering fraudulent activities. The companies were found using fake shipping firms and manipulated documentation to falsely claim organic certification. Two of the banned companies — Farmers United House and Om Organic Cotton Pvt Ltd — are based in Odisha. The remaining three — Super Cotton Industries, Shri Dwarakish Corporation, and Aama Cotton Pvt Ltd — operate from Gujarat. These firms have been barred from claiming GOTS organic certification until 2026. GOTS disclosed in a statement that investigations revealed the shipping company used by the firms did not exist, meaning no real movement of goods took place. The certification body found that forged National Organic Program (NOP) transaction certificates (TCs) were submitted by the Odisha-based companies, accompanied by fake QR codes linked to a spoofed website.
