LA's USTRIVE Manufacturing is First in US to Gain GOTS, OCS Certification

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- USTRIVE Manufacturing, a Los Angeles-based garment maker specializing in knitwear, has become the first and only vertical clothing manufacturer in North America to be certified to both the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and Textile Exchange's Organic Content Standard (OCS), the world's two leading organic textile standards. USTRIVE enables brands to meet both Made in America and organic criteria throughout their entire supply chain from cut and sew to dyeing, finishing, screen printing, embroidering, packaging and storage – all within 12 miles.

USTRIVE is four companies vertically integrated into one: Tour Image, Jin Clothing, Care-Tex Industries and S&B Printing and Embroidery, all of which have deep roots in the local apparel industry. Tour Image is a 30 year old sales and design-development company, while Jin Clothing is a family owned private-label apparel manufacturer that has been in business in Los Angeles for more than 28 years. Care-Tex Industries is a full-service dye and finishing facility that uses water-based low impact GOTS certified organic dyes, and S&B Printing specializes in nontoxic, water-based printing and embroidery using organic thread. USTRIVE partners with nearby Laguna Fabrics – the first US knitter to gain GOTS certification – for its organic fabrics.

The Global Organic Textile Standard includes both environmental and social provisions for post-harvest to retail shelf management, addressing all the processing stages (ginning, spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing) of 70-100 percent organic fiber-containing products and prohibiting the use of toxic inputs. The Organic Content Standard verifies that five to 100 percent of the raw fiber in the product was grown to the US Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program organic crop or livestock standards (in the US) no matter where in the world it was grown or raised, and allows blending of conventional and organic cotton as well as synthetic fibers.

"The GOTS certification process took over eight months to complete and included a complete retooling of our dyeing, printing and packaging methods in order to meet the standard's stringent non-toxic chemical requirements," said Scott Wilson, USTRIVE Founder and Partner. "At the same time, we chose to have OCS certification because it allows us to offer a broader range of organic fiber-based fabrics for our customers to choose from," he continued.

USTRIVE also is ahead of the game when it comes to worker compensation. The company pays its workers hourly instead of by piece, ensuring that work is carried out at a pace that ensures quality. This means it guarantees a consistent wage (versus a variable wage) translating to approximately 25 percent higher wages per month than other similar knitwear contractors in Los Angeles.

On Friday, March 6, Wilson will present about USTRIVE at the Global Organic Textile Standard Roundtable to be held at the LA Textile Show in Los Angeles. For more information, see https://global-standard.org/gots-conferences-and-meetings.html. Contact Sandra Marquardt as soon as possible if interested in participating in the Friday afternoon bus tour to USTRIVE.

SOURCE USTRIVE