North Face launches a regenerative cotton project

The VF owned brand, North Face is teaming up with Boston-based Indigo Ag, an agricultural technology company for sourcing its fibers that can be traced back to farmers deploying the regenerative farming practices. Indigo Ag is a nature-based solutions company that modernizes ancient practices with the advent of microbiology and digital technology. The practices include activities like cover cropping, reducing tillage, and holistic livestock management. The North Face’s regenerative cotton collection is due to launch next autumn.

Senior manager of global sustainability for The North Face, Carol Shu said that this kind of project will help them to dive deeper into their supply chain which they would have not been able to do in the past. Talking about traceability as a key part of their brand he also mentions the brand’s ‘Backyard Project’ which they launched in 2014.

This type of partnership move shows the growing interest among various fashion brands in regenerative agriculture which focuses on restoring soil health and drawing down the carbon from the atmosphere.

Timberland, a division of VF outdoor and sister brand of North Face has also targeted that by 2030, they will source all its natural material through regenerative sources. A fund has also been raised by Kering, the owner of luxury fashion brand Gucci, for the project over the next 5 years to prepare 1 million hectares of land for regenerative agriculture.