A Green Marathon was held in Mumbai on October 28, 2018 and was the second event of the SBI Green Marathon series, after the first one, which was held in New Delhi in September 2018. The theme was about celebrating a passion for the environment, sustainability and better living conditions for our future generations.

The marathon runners were provided organic cotton t-shirts, which are certified according to Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), an international eco-label. GOTS is the world’s leading textile processing standard for organic textiles. The entire textile supply chain of organic textile can be fully traced right from the farm to ready-made garments.

The GOTS label on the garments includes the license number of the manufacturer. The consumers can verify the validity on GOTS website. Thus, the consumer facing GOTS label provides a credible assurance to the end user that their product has been manufactured in the most sustainable manner from certified organic fibres.

Organic cotton garments signify no use of toxic pesticides and synthetic fertilisers, nor hazardous dyes and chemicals, which ensures the textile fabric is safe for the consumer’s skin. Besides, GOTS social criteria also ensure that there is no use of child labour and working conditions are safe throughout the textile supply chain.

“I have always been fascinated by organic products and today I feel proud in wearing a certified organic cotton shirt as organic products ensure that there is no harm to our health or skin,” Atul Nandrekar, a top official at India's largest telecom operator and a fitness enthusiast and avid trekker informs.

“I am wearing clothing which is organic certified. Although I may not feel the difference while wearing, I feel delighted in wearing a t-shirt, which will never harm my skin, or the environment, when it was manufactured,” Rinki Shah, a finance officer in a MNC and who too loves travelling & networking says.

“We are very pleased to see the increasing uptake of GOTS certified clothing in India. India produces 56 per cent of the world’s organic cotton. Various retailers are offering GOTS certified organic clothing in the India market now. Consumers can actively choose eco-fashion with the proof being the GOTS eco-label tag,” Sumit Gupta, GOTS Representative (India & Bangladesh) adds.

11 more marathons have been planned after the Mumbai marathon, which includes cities like Bengaluru and Ahmedabad.

About Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): GOTS is a stringent voluntary global standard for the entire post-harvest processing (including spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing) of apparel and home textiles made with organic fibre (organic cotton and organic wool), and includes both environmental and social criteria. Key provisions include a ban on the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), highly hazardous chemicals like azo dyes and formaldehyde, and also child labour, while requiring strong social compliance management systems and strict waste water treatment practices. For more information on GOTS please visit www.global-standard.org