Skip to main content

TECHNICAL UPDATE - ORGANIC COTTON CERTIFICATION

One of the oldest and the most popular of natural fibers used in the textile industry is cotton. It is one of “the” important of commodities or products traded in the world.  It is the bane of Indian exports, India and cotton simply go hand in hand. Try this for statistic,  India is expected to produce 25.5 million bales of cotton in the year 2012-13 as per USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) October crop Production Report.  Major portion of the cotton is produced according to modern farming practices using chemical fertilizers and pesticides or as it is popularly termed “the conventional way”. The high incidence of the use of chemicals is seen as one of the biggest bane in its farming.  It is with this view that there is an increasing thrust on organic cotton. The quantities of organic cotton are still fledgling, it is said to be growing at an impressive 20% per annum. Understandably so, given India’s niche with cotton, India is amongst the top major producers of organic cotton today.  Organic cotton does not mean growing cotton without using chemical fertilizers and pesticides but in turn is attributed to understanding the processes and then zeroing down on the inputs. Farms have to complete two year convention period of switching over from conventional into organic. The emphasis is on agronomical procedures. Organic cotton is defined as that which is produced according to the internationally recognized organic farming standards or guidelines. These have been formulated by EU regulation 834/2007, USA National Organic Program (NOP), the Indian National Program for Organic Production (NPOP) or the Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS).  Given India’s dominance as one of the top most producers of organic cotton, these standards assume more importance.  There is some confusion on fair trade cotton. Fair trade cotton is that which is traded ethically and benefits the farmer groups. Organic cotton on the other hand benefits the environment. In a way both complement each other and are ideal linkages in this future for organic cotton and move towards sustainability.

The certification for organic cotton textile and apparel is very interesting. The certificate is not only for 100% organic cotton used but grades it as per the percentage present in the garment. Like 95% and above, 75 – 95% each of which is labeled differently and distinctly so that the consumer is aware as to what grade he or she is paying for.

We will take a journey on the various types of Organic cotton certification available all over the world! 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FROM THE ANNALS OF HISTORY - Dr. Ghada Hiijawi-Qaddumi - President World Craft Council - Asia Pacific Region (2013-20)

Dr. Ghada Hijjawi-Qaddumi, President/World Craft Council – Asia Pacific Region (2013-2020) passed away on   1 st April 2021.   I had met her when she was here for the World Ikkat Exhibition. I had written about it for the Hindu    Ikat - binding the world   a nd   Silkmark Magazine. This interview or her thoughts in general was published in the Silkmark Magazine. She was kind enough to share her thoughts on crafts in general.     WCC-Asia Pacific Region, an NGO established 1964, comprises 5 Regions, one of which is Asia Pacific Region.  Being the richest in traditional handicrafts it is the most active in launching programmes.   All events aim at spreading awareness (among artisans, and people in general), of the cultural value of handicrafts, and their economic and social importance in the life of communities, individuals and nations.   We believe that the "Pride" of artisans in their crafts, is an important part of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

BOOK REVIEW - Divyambara (Masterpieces of costume from the Collection of the National Museum) by Dr. Lotika Vardarajan

We do a book review this time,  this book Divyambara (Masterpieces of costume from the Collection of the National Museum) by Dr. Lotika Vardarajan with contribution from Sushmit Sharma brought out by the National Museum, New Delhi. Dr. Lotika Vardarajan, a Tagore Fellow passed away suddenly before the book could be released. It is an ideal tribute to her vast knowledge, enthusiasm and spirit in the world of revival and documentation of traditional crafts, arts and preservation of heritage of the country. The book can be called a catalogue, anthology, brief history of sorts of the textile collection at the National Museum. It traces the origins of the textile department which falls under the section of Decorative Arts and then the building of the collection. There are interesting insights which one does not get to hear. The introduction by Dr. Mani clearly states that unlike other Museums which had a repertoire of collected textiles presented to them or gifted to them to begin wit...
Post a Comment
Read more

INSPIRATIONALLY YOURS - MUDMEE SILK

Textile exhibitions in Delhi are few and far between, therefore this organised by The Royal Thai Embassy , New Delhi, Republic of India, in collaboration with The National Museum, New Delhi and The Thai Khadi Research Institute, Thammasat University was a stunner and eye opener to say the least. It had on display some fabulous selection of Thai Mudmee – weft ikat fom Thailand.  This was seeing a lot of it for the first time and what a sight to behold it was. The exhibition had on display fabulous Thai silk threads, there was a short film of the rearing of the cocoons to the reeling and weaving of the silk. What was a stunner was the brilliant single ikat on display. Single ikat unlike what we have seen from Gujarat,  Andhra Pradesh or Orissa. The depth of the motifs, colours all fit in beautiful. What added the extra dimension to the exhibition was the display of textiles both antique, vintage and of course contemporary. It not only helped understand the textile and its innova...
Post a Comment
Read more