Farming & Picking

Like sugar and rice, cotton is a very thirsty crop. Conventional cotton farming involves using irrigation systems to keep the plants watered. These irrigation systems vary dramatically in their effectiveness and effect on the environment; in some cases 60% of the water used never reaches its intended plant, whereas some irrigation systems in the western world have a 95% hit rate. The origin of the water used in also relevant, with some being transported out of other ecosystems and thereby having huge negative impacts on these and on local communities. Another common problem arising as a result of improper use of irrigation systems, is the salinisation of the soil (increasing the salt content) which renders it completely unusable, and the pollution and contamination of local and regional water supplies. While there are positive reasons for using irrigation systems, such as the ability to control water requirements and resilience against drought, they can be disastrous for the environment when a holistic and irresponsible approach is not adopted. Organic cotton farming in the undeveloped world is largely rain-fed, while an educated and responsible approach is encouraged throughout the world.

At OAR we use only GOTS-certified cotton. GOTS is the most thorough and strict organic standard that exists, and involves all materials, processes and practices adhering to the strictest organic standards, throughout the whole supply chain. Despite this, we acknowledge that organic certification is far from perfect. This is largely owing to the fact that the organic certification system is relatively young and requires ongoing research and development. It is also important that farmers receive adequate information and training, as the improper use of organic fertilisers and organic pesticides, or the improper use and handling of water can have damaging effects on the environment. However, organic practices are constantly being developed and improved by certified, independent parties, and we believe that following these holistic, transparent practises is healthy and makes sense for the environment and for people. We hope that in the future organic certification will also include water footprint, irrigation practises and origin of agricultural land.

Out in the fields of North-West India, we had a chance to meet some of the farmers supplying our cotton and some of the pickers picking our cotton. Most farms in the region are smallholdings, comprising just a few fields, some modest buildings, and possibly a cow or two. Farmers join together in cooperatives, allowing them to pool their resources to buy seeds, and to get better negotiating power with the cotton traders that buy their produce.

Typically the farmer will pay local workers to come in at harvest time, and they pick the cotton by hand. Whereas conventional cotton has been engineered or sprayed with defoliants to ensure all crops ripen at the same time, organic cotton ripens naturally, at varying times throughout the harvest. This makes picking the cotton more labour intensive and means it requires greater skill. A typical organic cotton field has to be harvested four times, and it requires experience and skill to know which boll to pick and which to leave. Pick the cotton too early and it will be weak; pick it too late and it will be woody and unusable. This makes it very hard to use machinery and child labour for picking.

All of our cotton is GOTS-certified which, besides ensuring a strict organic standard, also ensures strict socially responsible standards. This includes the requirement that all people involved in the farming process, from farmers to pickers, must receive a fair wage, and that no child labour is permitted at any stage in the supply chain. These standards are enforced and upheld by regular, unannounced audits and checks.