Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) — a group of industry partners whose “goal is to unleash the potential of organic cotton for farmers, brands and the planet” — released its latest Farm Programme Impact report, and underlined the business case for farmers to grow organic cotton.
And the message seems to be getting across as OCA had worked with over 22,000 organic cotton farmers under its Farm Programme during the 2020/21 season, which was a 180% increase. But it’s currently working with nearly 80,000 farmers for the 2021/22 season, a further increase of 350%.
Bestseller, for instance, has set a target of sourcing 30% organic cotton by 2025 and to date, the H&M Group has introduced in-conversion cotton to its sustainable material portfolio to support farmers transitioning to organic agriculture.
It added that it ensured its farmers earned 21% more on average than conventional (non-organic) local farmers in 2020/21.
