Federation Textile Standards and Certification Programme

PERAMA International
Office of the Senior Commissions Officer Notice
PI/HQ/SEC/084

The Federation is pleased to confirm that its official clubwear programme continues to meet the requirements of all applicable textile certification standards. This notice serves as the annual acknowledgement of the programme's standing.

ORGANIC COTTON

All Federation t-shirts and sweatshirts are produced in GOTS certified organic cotton. The Global Organic Textile Standard is the recognised benchmark for organic fibre processing. The Commissions Office wishes to note that GOTS refers to the Global Organic Textile Standard, not to goats. This clarification has been issued following a period of internal ambiguity at Federation headquarters, where goats are visible from the Commissions Office window on most mornings. The acronym is coincidental. The Senior Commissions Officer has asked that the matter not be raised again.

The Federation's compliance with this standard was not achieved quickly. The Commissions Office submitted its initial application in the programme's second year of operation. The process involved documentation that the Senior Commissions Officer has described as "thorough."

The organic cotton used across the Federation's graphic t-shirt range is ring-spun, combed, and certified under both GOTS and the Organic Content Standard. The OCS provides an additional chain of custody verification. The Federation did not initially understand why two certifications were necessary for the same cotton. It has since accepted that this is how standards work.

OEKO-TEX AND SAFETY

The Federation's premium organic t-shirts carry OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification, which confirms that the finished garment has been tested for harmful substances. The Commissions Office was informed that this includes testing for over one hundred individual substances. It did not ask for the full list.

RECYCLED CONTENT

Certain garments within the programme incorporate recycled polyester certified under the Global Recycled Standard. The Federation notes that recycled polyester is derived from post-consumer material. The GRS certification verifies both the recycled content and the conditions under which it is processed. The Commissions Office has filed the relevant documentation alongside its other certificates.

THE STAMPS

The Federation maintains physical copies of all certification marks in its records. These are stored in the administrative archive at Federation headquarters in Epirus. The Senior Commissions Officer has been observed arranging them by date of issue.

Member clubs have not, to the Federation's knowledge, requested to view these documents. The Commissions Office considers this a sign of trust. It has nonetheless prepared a summary sheet, which remains available upon request. No requests have been received.

The Federation regards its textile certification programme as one of its more orderly achievements. In an organisation that oversees sporting activity across six continents, in conditions ranging from sub-zero ice to equatorial heat, the fact that every organic cotton t-shirt meets the same certified standard is considered, by the Commissions Office at least, worthy of note.

The programme continues. The stamps remain in good order.

Compiled by C. Konstantinou, Senior Commissions Officer PERAMA International