Options For Using Organics
March 31, 2010 Today, sustainability in the sourcing strategies of brands and retailers has become an imperative. Originally driven by consumer concerns around working conditions in garmenting factories, the global consciousness now has to resolve a plethora of pressing issues such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, diminishing oil and water supplies, competition for land and many others. In addition, governments are becoming increasingly involved and creating new legislation that requires greater responsibility and transparency with regard to merchandise imports.
The drivers of change and public perceptions that are influencing legislation are:
• Climate change, which affects the cost and availability of raw materials, people’s ability to access dwindling resources, and nature’s ability to produce, recover, and restore.
• The growing threat to natural resources like water and fisheries, forests and landscapes.
• The recession and its tremendous cascading impacts on nearly every industry.
• Chemicals and the impacts of their past usage – cancer rates, public health issues, contaminated fresh water supplies, reduction in biodiversity and residues on food and other products.
• The availability and price of oil and petro-based chemicals and fibres.
• The issues of poverty and hunger.
When we established Organic Exchange in 2002, the emphasis on sustainable sourcing was very small as a percentage of the entire sourcing portfolio of our brand and retailer members.
Production of organic cotton has grown, though, from around 6,500 metric tons in the 2000-2001 season to over 175,000 metric tons in the 2008-2009 season. This growth is vibrant and dramatic and indicates the willingness of retailers and consumers to commit to making purchases that are more sustainable. Today, sustainability is being mainstreamed and applied to all fiber sources, including all cotton and all other man-made fibers.
photo:
Harvesting organic cotton in India.
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