The newly established Global Standards Foundation is the sole shareholder of the operating organisation, which was renamed Global Standards gGmbH. The new structure will ensure that strategic decisions are guided by independent expertise, to support a more sustainable textile sector, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A key feature of the new model is the establishment of a Governing Council as the organisation's strategic governing body. The inaugural Governing Council brings together four new outstanding independent experts alongside nominees from each of the four founding organisations and an independent chair, showcasing a global range of experience and expertise. All serve in a personal capacity, collectively extending Global Standards’ expertise across sustainability, governance, finance, certification and public policy:

Prof. Dr. Christian Berg, Member of the GLS Bank Investment Committee and of the German Association of the Club of Rome and former Chief Sustainability Architect, SAP

Pietro Bertazzi, Chief Policy, Projects and Interim Growth Officer at Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)

James Cashmore, former Managing Director, Soil Association

Tom Chapman, co-CEO, Organic Trade Association

Herbert Ladwig (Governing Council Founding Chair), Policy & Legal Advisor, Global Standards gGmbH

Tsuyoshi Maeda, Founder and CEO, Team O-Three Co., Ltd., and Chair, Japan Organic Cotton Association

Nicole Pälicke, Director, People Wear Organic and Board Member, Internationaler Verband der Naturtextilwirtschaft (IVN)

Georg Schürmann, Chair, UmweltBank Supervisory Board, Member of Supervisory Board, Oikocredit and former Managing Director, Triodos Bank Germany

Laurence Tanty, former Chair of Fairtrade International Board

The new governance structure draws from more than 20 years of industry leadership and will support Global Standards' evolution to a multi-standard Voluntary Sustainability Standards organisation. Its portfolio today includes the worldwide recognised GOTS and the new Global Responsible Textile Standard (GRTS), which expands to fibres beyond organic.

As expectations for Voluntary Sustainability Standards and regulatory requirements continue to intensify, the new foundation structure provides an independent governance model designed to meet those expectations while strengthening Global Standards’ ability to serve the textile sector over the long term.

Today, Global Standards is a team of around 50 professionals working around the world with a clear mission: “To ensure the highest level of social and environmental impact in textile value chains through voluntary sustainability standards and related activities.”

This new structure is designed to serve that mission better — giving Global Standards the independence, stability, and accountability it needs to keep delivering meaningful impact across global textile value chains.