Make Cotton Sustainable

NEWS REPORT / FIBRES2FASHION

Arvind Gears Up For Organic Denim

Consumer demand for organic cotton is rapidly increasing as more and more people are now aware that their choice of clothes has a huge impact on environment. Consequently, the demand for organic cotton is high among in the textile sector. This includes the denim industry.

India's denim industry is not far behind global trends. Arvind Limited, for example, is working with over 1000 small and marginal farmers in the Vidharb region of Maharashtra, helping farmers grow organic cotton. A team of Arvind’s organic farming experts provides constant technical support for farmers in the form of weekly consultation visits, practical demonstration of composting and organic pest management methods, and village-level training programmes on all aspects of organic farming.

Mr Mahesh Ramakrishnan, Head of Agribusiness at Arvind Limited, in a presentation at the International Denim Conference was reported by fibres2fashion.com pointing out that denim is the single largest consumer of cotton accounting for around 17 per cent of global cotton consumption.

Arvind started organic denim production in 2007, with capacity of one million meters and today produces eight million meters a year, about 8 per cent of its total production. Wal-Mart, Patagonia, C&A, Timberland, etc are major supporters of Arvind's organic denim initiative.

Arvind's organic cotton contract farming project is located in the cotton growing belt district of Maharashtra; Akola. From just 2 talukas, 33 villages, 293 farmers and 1,355 acres of cotton acreage in 2007-08 it has now enlarged to 6 talukas, 132 villages, 4,000 farmers and cotton under cultivation, has also surged around 12 times to 16,500 acres.

Photo Courtesy: Arvind Limited
To read the full story: India: Organic cotton demand outstrips supply – Mr Mahesh, Arvind Ltd