Special Report
Fruit of the Loom’s The Fruit Way and Russell Europe’s Belong to a Better Future sustainability campaigns outline the brands’ commitments to ambitious sustainability targets for 2025 and 2030.
Changing views
But where does this leave organic cotton? Are consumers turning away from it in favour of sustainable cotton? “We believe that the world views on sustainability are changing,” says Chuck. “Whether that is looking at third-party verification and/ or certified organic cotton. While the trend of organic cotton at retail continues to be popular, only 1% of the world’s cotton production is organic. There are other cotton options out there that are as sustainable as organic cotton and more accessible and available to the general consumer.”
It could be that views are also changing because the price of organic cotton has rocketed in recent months due to demand. “This is because there is just not enough organic cotton available on the market. The demand is enormously high, partly because organic cotton is easier to understand for the end user” explains Christian. “The concept of sustainable cotton – including
Fruit of the Loom’s knitting machines in Morocco
ethical manufacturing, transparent supply chains, independent certifications, and responsible sourcing – is far more complex to communicate and to understand.” This increase in demand has opened the door for more and more cotton farmers across the world to transition to organic farming, so at present the market is seeing a lot of ‘organic in conversion’ or ‘in-conversion cotton’ garments become available. It does appear that there is still a long way to go in terms of educating the end user about the differences between sustainable cotton and organic cotton, a sentiment that Chuck agrees with.
“There is certainly not enough awareness in the market right now for individuals to really understand the difference between organic, sustainable, and regular cotton,” says Chuck. “I think we need to continue to educate the public on what sustainable cotton is, existing standards and certifications in place, as well as technology that is being implemented to improve and pave the way for more sustainable cotton farming practices.”
This is where third party organisations such as Cotton USA, Better Cotton Initiative and The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol step in. These organisations make it their mission to
90% of Fruit of the Loom’s garments are manufactured at the company’s facility in Morocco
Gildan aims to source 100% sustainable cotton by 2025
promote the benefits of sustainable cotton, to help everyone within the supply chain to produce sustainable cotton, and to educate the end user about sustainable cotton. By partnering with these organisations, manufacturers such as Gildan and FOL International are provided with quantifiable goals and measurements to sustainable cotton production such as land use, soil carbon, water management, soil loss, GHG emissions, and energy efficiency. Creating an all-round more sustainable supply chain over time, which is the ultimate common goal for the industry.
A better tomorrow
Gildan’s dyeing facility in Honduras
“Sustainable cotton is just the first part of what you need to make apparel,” says Chuck. “It is important to not only look at your ingredients but the whole manufacturing process, and more importantly how we measure all of it for improvement.”
Christian agrees: “We believe that sustainable cotton is a way to a better tomorrow, and we actively engage in driving awareness on environmental issues and quality, and want to offer our clients eco-friendly, long-lasting and fair produced clothing.”
Organic cotton has been in the spotlight for many years now, maybe it’s about time attention was directed towards sustainable cotton production and its benefits.
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk July 2022 | 27 |
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
