Organic Cotton Accelerator welcomes Esprit & Soorty

The Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA), a multi-stakeholder organization dedicated to organic cotton, has welcomed two new contributors: Pakistani denim producer Soorty and Hong Kong-based fashion company Esprit.

The Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) is a global platform dedicated to bringing organic cotton integrity, supply security, and demonstrable social and environmental impact. Esprit, Soorty, and Insignian Home are among the contributors.

The support and investment of Esprit, Soorty, and Insignian Home as contributors, according to the OCA, will drive its farmer-centric programs aimed at improving the livelihoods of organic cotton producers and those transitioning to organic agriculture.

OCA says that by working together, they can build the groundwork for future supply and meet the growing demand for organic cotton as a raw material while also benefiting people and the environment. They join a growing list of committed organizations working to make a positive difference in the organic cotton industry.

Soorty is utilizing its comprehensive vertically integrated infrastructure spanning Pakistan, Turkey, and Bangladesh in order to manufacture sustainable denim at scale. In Pakistan and Bangladesh, the company offers LEED-certified production, as well as a co-creation development facility in Turkey and design centers in New York and Amsterdam.

The Soorty Organic Cotton Initiative (SOCI) is credited with being one of the earliest private-sector initiatives to promote more environmentally and socially responsible cotton agronomy. Over the next four years, SOCI will help over a thousand farmers in Naal shift to a “safer, organic technique of growing cotton.

Asad Soorty, director at Soorty Enterprises, said that SOCI is about more than just growing organic cotton. It’s about providing a better life for the farming families of this impoverished region by increasing their income, improving their education, and gaining access to professional health care. It’s about building a blockchain-based transparent digital marketplace and traceability system to revolutionize the way cotton is purchased. This is their first step into farming, and they’re enthused by the possibilities ahead of them.