OCA welcomes new participants

In order to support its aim of highlighting organic cotton‘s potential for positive effects, from field to fashion, for people and the planet, the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) has welcomed a wave of new participants from across the textile supply chain.

Levi Strauss & Co., G-Star Raw, Bonprix, The Sting Companies, and manufacturers Arvind Limited and Norlanka Manufacturing are some of the most recent OCA contributors.

According to OCA, its community of contributors promote, cultivate, supply, and purchase organic cotton, which aids in the development of a more open, robust, and responsible supply chain, resulting in prosperous farmers and a world that is preserved for the future.

The organization also asserts that, prior to its founding in 2016, the organic cotton industry was fragmented and lacked a clear plan for growth and profitability, particularly for farmers.

With up to 80,000 farmer participants in the cotton season of 2021–2022, OCA celebrated “enormous increase” in the number of farmers joining their program earlier this year.

Levi Strauss & Co’s chief sustainability officer, Jeffrey Hogue, said that they’re thrilled to join Organic Cotton Accelerator because, for the first time, they’ll be able to source directly from organic cotton farmers and collaborate with others to discover scalable solutions for the industry. The global organic cotton industry is united by Organic Cotton Accelerator, which makes it unique.

It provides quantifiable improvements to local communities and farmers’ livelihoods, setting the stage for transformation. Through this cooperation, we are better able to acquire cotton that is more environmentally friendly for our goods and have access to new chances to address the problem affecting our sector.

In the meanwhile, Stefanie Sumfleth, vice president of corporate responsibility and technical product at Bonprix, sees the company’s decision to join OCA as a logical next step in its larger sustainability plan for cotton.