Make Cotton Sustainable

NEWS REPORT / TIMES OF INDIA

Indian Apparel Going Sustainable

Sustainable cotton is creating space in India, a market that has been relatively innocent on issues of sustainability despite being the leading producer of organic cotton. From large brands such as Arrow and Van Heusen to new brands on the rack including Chennai based Appachi Cotton with its Ethicus brand, organic and sustainable cotton as well as ethical fabric is here as retailers increasingly appreciate the inherent value of better practices in agriculture and the farm to fashion value chain.

Reports the Times of India,  that while sustainable cotton has started making its presence felt, a combination of price and certification stay as barriers to a proliferation of sustainable cotton apparel. Among those putting sustainable cotton and ethical trading on the India map are people like Mani Chinnaswamy, Managing  partner of Appachi Cotton, who owns the Ethicus brand. "We grow organic cotton and do the ginning and weaving
following eco-friendly practices," Mani Chinnaswamy told Times of India. Labourers and weavers are paid fair wages and their children educated for free in schools in Zamin Uthukuli village, Pollachi, in western Tamil Nadu.

Van Heusen's line is an acknowledgement of consumer preferences. "In the last few years, people have become more conscious about going green. We've always procured from suppliers with fair trade certification. We were giving out recyclable bags but decided to go a step further and create a 'green' shirt," says Shital Mehta, COO of Van Heusen, a brand from Aditya Birla Group's Madura Garments.

Suresh J, CEO of Arvind (brands and retail), which has brands like Arrow and Flying Machine under its umbrella, told the Times of India that most of their factories have been approved by the international organisation Business Social Compliance Initiative. This means the company spends at least 10 per cent to 15 per cent more on its back-end.

Indian manufacturers see going green as an inevitable choice. "The customer is open to the idea of spending a little more to make a responsible choice," says Chinnaswamy. "For a person in a city, a simple way to help the environment is to choose a product that's produced responsibly."

Read the full Times of India story Slip into a shirt, save the earth