Hermes Fulfilment has secured Global Organic Textile Standard certification for its 70,000 sq metre distribution centre in Sonnefeld, extending organic-textile requirements beyond production and into logistics and returns handling.
The Upper Franconia site, near Coburg in Germany, is operated by Baur Hermes Fulfilment and specialises in handling smaller-volume product ranges, primarily clothing.
The Global Organic Textile Standard, known as GOTS, sets requirements for textiles made using organically produced natural fibres, as well as how certified products are handled further along the supply chain.
Steven Samsel, project manager responsible for GOTS certification at Hermes Fulfilment, said: “Compliance with GOTS standards does not stop at the loading dock.”
He added: “Sustainability requirements must also be met in operational logistics processes. These range from goods receipt, storage, and picking to shipping and returns management.”
To achieve certification, the Sonnefeld facility had to demonstrate the traceability and separate handling of GOTS-certified goods as they move through the distribution centre.
Certified products must be kept apart from conventional goods that do not meet the standard, with designated zones, racks and storage locations clearly marked throughout the site.
The segregation rules also extend to returns.
GOTS-certified items that have been tried on must be separately washed, cleaned or ironed using approved products before they can be returned to sale. Every movement of the goods must also be documented.
Packaging materials used for certified goods must not contain chlorinated plastics, while employees involved in handling GOTS products at Sonnefeld have been trained in the required procedures.
The certification remains valid for one year, with compliance checked through annual on-site audits carried out by an independent accredited certification body.
Susanne Diener, representative for the German-speaking region at Global Standard, the non-profit organisation behind GOTS, said: “GOTS certification makes it transparent how the distribution centre implements the environmental and social requirements applicable to its operations.”
She added: “This provides retail companies as well as their customers with the highest degree of reliability and transparency.”
Hermes Fulfilment said the accreditation would also strengthen the services offered by the Sonnefeld site, particularly when competing for business from fashion companies using certified textiles.
Samsel said: “The GOTS seal expands the distribution centre's service profile with proven expertise in handling certified textiles.”
He said this had become an important consideration when seeking external clients from the fair-fashion sector, which Hermes Fulfilment integrates through its F2X IT and logistics platform.
Hermes Fulfilment is headquartered in Hamburg and operates sites across Germany as well as Poland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Italy.
It manages warehousing, packing and returns for Otto Group retailers and other customers.
The business handles a product range of around one million items, employs approximately 8,000 people and processes about 500 million items annually.