SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVE
Inaugural session ( L to R ): Dr . Rajesh Rajora , Principal Secretary , Farmer Welfare & Agriculture Development , Government of MP ; Leslie Johnston , Executive Director , C & A Foundation ; Gaurishankar Bisen , Minister , Farmer Welfare & Agriculture Development , Government of MP ; PC Meena , IAS , Ministry of State for Commerce & Industry and Shreyaskar Chaudhary , MD & CEO of Pratibha Syntex Ltd .
During the session – ‘ Building a Resilient Organic Cotton Sector : Improving Farmer Livelihood ’ – all speakers including the lead farmers , Alison Ward , Chief Executive Officer ( CEO ) of CottonConnect and La Rhea Pepper , Managing Director ( MD ) of Textile Exchange , shared their experience and collectively agreed that although the cost of doing organic farming is around 12 % less than chemical farming , the effort and patience required to nurture the farmers is much higher . Countering the lower input cost , the productivity in the initial stages is much lower than conventional cotton , which is again a challenge for the farmers . It was underscored over and over again that the viability and future of the industry is only possible if organic cotton is treated as ‘ exclusive ’ and price points are higher than conventional cotton .
Industry voices …
As manufacturer of organic yarn and fabrics , Rohit Doshi , Director of Mahima Fibres Pvt . Ltd . shared that many ‘ costs ’ were involved in the process and though they want to pay the farmers well , the price at which the industry is willing to buy , puts pressure on them all the time . Agreeing with Rohit , Shreyaskar Chaudhary , MD & CEO of Pratibha Syntex Ltd . urged the brands to look at organic cotton products in a fresh light that would make it more viable for companies to manufacture garments using organic cotton . “ Organic cotton is good for the farmers and for the environment , everyone agrees on that . But it is important to bring all stakeholders on to the table to recognise the gaps and work together to find solutions that will enhance this segment . That includes educating the end customer on what actually buying an organic product means – from improving the livelihood of small farmers to a healthier world for future generations ,” implored Shreyaskar .
Brand commitments & concerns …
The biggest concern for brands working with organic cotton is ‘ visibility ’ or ‘ traceability ’ to ensure that what they are getting is actually organic cotton . “ We need to ensure that we are driving real change . Visibility is also very important for the fair distribution of profitability throughout the chain ,” averred Merel Krebbers , Material Integrity Specialist of H & M . Though H & M is among the biggest brands working with organic cotton , its concerns are shared by all brands . For Superdry , which has picked up its first order of organic cotton from MP last December , the biggest factor that has driven the brand to organic cotton is the power to change lives . “ We have started small and it is important to ensure that we are actually benefiting the organic cotton farmer , and that is possible only if there is visibility through the supply chain ,” said Carly Thomas , Ethical Trading Manager of Superdry . The brand is looking to scale up in organic cotton and has joined OCA in its effort to make a successful business model and be the enablers of change .
Ensuring integrity involves cost and who pays that cost is very critical to the movement . In fact , the high cost of certifications and traceability programmes was also a matter of concern . Sabrina Müller , Senior Sustainability Manager ( Product
ESSENTIALS
Representing 70 % of global organic cotton sourcing by volume , OCA was established in 2016 , in collaboration with brands that believe in the organic cotton story . OCA invests in farmers , seeds and integrity solutions through targeted interventions and programmes .
Farmers first : Farmers attentively listening to the discussion on the dais
and Brand ) of Tchibo was very upfront when she said that the impact is always at the core when it comes to sustainability . “ If , after solving the integrity and material as well as financial transparency in the sector , we see that it is still not sufficient to support the lives of farmers and the cultivation of organic cotton , we will have to address the mechanisms and price structure of it all .”
What was very obvious from the discussions that took place was that the issues surrounding visibility can only be addressed with a collaborative approach . Every stakeholder has a role to play , and commitment from each is important to achieve the common goal of giving a better life and livelihood opportunities to the farmers who embark on the organic journey .
Government takes on the challenges …
The honesty with which the day-long session proceeded was indeed an indication of the seriousness of the
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