Bestseller building on relationship with OCA
Bestseller, parent company to brands such as Danish denim label Jack & Jones, said it is expecting 1,500 tonnes of organic cotton direct from farmers as a result of having joined the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA).
Since signing on to the OCA in 2019, Bestseller has signed agreements with two farm groups in India – which together represent around 2,000 organic cotton farmers – for the current season. It will also participate in OCA’s Farm Engagement & Development (FED) projects in 2020/21.
The 1,500 tonnes of organic cotton, according to the company, is enough to produce 3 million t-shirts.
“Since there are so many challenges with the global organic cotton market, we want our organic cotton to be directly sourced. We want to know where it came from and the communities that grew it, what impact our investment has, and how our pre-financing of seeds has helped,” said Danique Lodewijks, Bestseller’s sustainability’s senior project specialist.
Cotton accounts for 50 percent of the group's total fibre consumption, she said. “Although our FED projects in India will only provide a fraction of the organic cotton we are likely to use in 2021, we are already exploring similar ventures in Africa, Pakistan and Turkey.”
