economic and social responsibility with the Global Organic Textile Standard

GOTS; organic; certified; environment; social; economical; cotton

 

As a company, our ecological and social responsibility is very important opposite to our customers and suppliers, which is why we are very proud of this certification. We set a clear drawing on sustainability! With the GOTS certification, we conclude, as a German wholesaler, the supply chain to the national market and this makes it possible also for smaller retailers, to buying products made of certified organic cotton, without being dependent on large order quantities.; The Standard; The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is as worldwide leading standard for manufacturing of textiles made of organic natural fabrics accepted. At a high level, the standard defines environmental requirements along the whole textile production chain and also the compliance of social criteria. On-site Inspections and the certification of processing companies, manufacturer and seller will be carry out by independent and special accredited institutes based on the GOTS monitoring system. This guaranteed a totally safety for GOTS certified textiles.; Cotton is extreme popular; According to WWF is about 50% of all textiles worldwide made of cotton (about 43% in the EU).; Organic cotton without genetic modification; The cultivation of genetically modified cotton plants is very widespread. Genetically modified cotton plants are resistant to special pests, pesticides and / or more resistant to certain environmental conditions. The use of genetically modified plants always involves risks! About loss of genetic diversity the uncontrollable spread and the formation of not wanted resistance up to dependencies of the farmers from the seed and pesticide manufacturers. In organic farming genetically modified plants are prohibited.; Organic Cultivation saves Money; Unlike conventional genetically modified cotton, organic cotton produces seeds which can be used for growing new plants. This saves the farmers high costs for new seeds.; Conventional Cotton need much more Water; The rate of consumption for water in the farming of organic cotton is much lower as for conventional cotton. The soils contain due to the usual crop rotation in organic farming (changing plants) more organic substances and can store more water. Rainwater often will be collected and will used for watering the organic fields. A study from 2014 came to the conclusion that water consumption in farming of organic cotton is 91 percent lower as for conventional cotton farming.; Organic Cotton protects Human and Environment; In organic farming are chemical-synthetic fertilizers and plant-protection-substrates prohibited. The farmers fight against pests with traditional methods, thus they are protecting the environment and the own health. On the fields of organic farming the farmers are changing periodically the cultivated plants (exchange economy), which keeps the number of pests low. Additionally the farmers put other plants between and beside the cotton plants, which are more attractive for pests. In addition, the natural enemies of cotton-pests survive and are helping with pest control because the organic farming is without pesticide. In organic cotton farming, the farmers have less contact to toxic substrates and they usually get slightly better prices and wages. The cultivation of organic cotton supports the small farming structures and the independence of the farmers of the big seed- and pesticide companies.; Quantity of Organic Cotton (still) low; Although the global organic cotton production 2018 increased by approximately 10 percent, the proportion of organic cotton still less than one percent of world cotton production. About 50 percent of this organic cotton comes from India, about 20 percent from China and each about 7 percent of Turkey and Kyrgyzstan. To increase the proportion of organic cotton continually our buying behavior of sustainable clothing is very important. So there is still huge potential here.; CONCLUSION; When growing organic cotton they using only traditional seed, genetic modification is prohibited. In organic farming, water consumption is significantly lower. The farmers use for fertilization and plant protection only natural methods instead of chemical-synthetic substrates and thus protect the soil, biodiversity and health of workers. And finally, organic cotton is also gentler on the skin of the consumer who uses the processed cotton as a garment on the body.