Sustainable' cotton Time for a rethink? - SUSTAINABLE FASHION, FINANCIAL INSIGHT - Apparel Insider
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Issue 7 May 2019
S U S TA I N A B L E FA S H I O N , F I N A N C I A L I N S I G H T
‘Sustainable’
cotton
Time for a rethink?
www.apparelinsider.com
W eofhad fun producing this issue
Apparel Insider. It’s always
sustainable than another.
What gives them the confidence to
interesting when a piece of research use phrases such as ‘more sustainable
or information comes along which cotton’ in their marketing?
changes your thinking about a subject, We didn’t get very far here. Some
and such was the case when the writer brands sent us links on their website
of our cover story got in touch several which told us, well, not very much
months ago asking some questions really. I was also fobbed off onto
around the issue of cotton. heads of PR, and there seemed to be
Veronica Bates Kassatly is co-founder a general bafflement that I was asking
Brett Mathews a question which – we believe – is
of Commun des Mortels Limited, a
boutique sustainable fashion brand. actually rather important.
We got chatting over email about the We won’t mention names but
one major UK brand which gains
Editorial
whole issue of sustainability in cotton,
and claims made by brands that they huge marketing mileage from its
are going to be sourcing increasing sustainability claims gave us the run-
percentages of their cotton from around for weeks on the issue before
‘sustainable’ sources. How do we know essentially saying they were too short
these sources are more sustainable, staffed to answer the question. Too
was her central question. To which short staffed to tell us what proof they
my own answer was that, on balance, had that the sustainability claims they
I understand organic to be the ‘gold were making about organic cotton and
standard’ in terms of sustainability, Better Cotton were actually correct.
while other cotton standards such You really couldn’t make this stuff up.
“
What gives them the confidence to use phrases such
as ‘more sustainable cotton’ in their marketing?
“
as Fairtrade and Better Cotton, also If solid, consistent data was available
scored well on a range of criteria, which showed that cotton standards
which I won’t go over here. such as organic cotton, Better Cotton
All of that said, I have never really and the like were a better long-term
looked closely at lifecycle analysis sustainability bet, we would be the
data which compares different cotton first to publish it. But we’re really not
production methods and much of my sure we are at that point right now
understanding comes from secondary – perhaps we never will be - which
sources. I don’t claim to be an expert. means that brands gaining positive PR
Veronica decided to dig deeper. She mileage about their ‘sustainable’ cotton
looked at the available data on cotton sourcing is rather misleading and
production, including data which unhelpful.
compares organic with conventional This also takes eyes off the far bigger
and BCI. Her findings, I have to say, and more important issue of the
are somewhat troubling. I won’t go over-production of poor quality, badly
into detail here, as I urge readers to made clothing which quickly finds its
read her feature from start to finish. way to landfill. If a garment is only
It’s a fascinating piece which deserves worn two or three times before being
to kick-start a much-needed debate on disregarded, it doesn’t really matter
this issue. what kind of cotton it is made from.
Perhaps most worrying of all in this
was that we approached a few of brands Brett Mathews
and asked them how they decide that Editor
one cotton production method is more Email: brett@apparelinsider.com
www.apparelinsider.com 3
contents
6-9
Upfront
Comment, insight and analysis on current trends and issues in the global
apparel and textile industries
13-21
Cover story: a cotton
special
In this edition of Apparel Insider we take
an in-depth look at the issue of cotton,
with a particular focus on claims around
‘sustainable cotton’. Are some cotton
production systems more sustainable than
others on criteria such as water use and
biodiversity? While it is often assumed
that this is the case, our investigation
Editor found that there is a distinct lack of data
Brett Mathews around this issue, and what data does exist
brett@apparelinsider.com doesn’t provide a clear cut case either way.
As well as some brilliant in-depth analysis
Consulting editor from former World Bank analyst Veronica
Mark Lane Bates Kassatly, the feature also includes
mark@apparelinsider.com contributions and reaction from Textile
Exchange, the C&A Foundation and
Features writer Cotton Inc.
Victoria Gallagher
victoria@apparelinsider.com
Advertising sales enquiries
22
Lorna Quarmby High time for
lorna@apparelinsider.com hemp
After looking at Levi’s
Website
exciting new breakthrough
www.apparelinsider.com
with cottonised hemp in our
last issue, we find out more
Twitter
about the challenges of using
@apparelinsider
hemp in apparel collections,
including interviews with
Design
Patagonia and Levi’s
Dusan Arsenijevic
Email: duda_arsenijevic@yahoo.com
Skype: dudinka0601
23
Copyright © 2019 Apparel Insider
Fibre focus misplaced
All rights reserved. This magazine
Two major studies have for the first time compiled all current publicly
or any portion thereof may not be
reproduced or used in any manner available data on the environmental impact of textile fibre production.
whatsoever without the express They conclude that fibre selection is not a crucial factor in the total
written permission of the publisher environmental impact of a garment. By VICTORIA GALLAGHER
except for the use of brief quotations.
4 Apparelinsider
25 33
Bird’s eye view Forced labour
A new tool which is attempting to map every garment factory concerns in
in the world has gone live following a soft, Beta launch last year. China
VICTORIA GALLAGHER talks to the developers of the Open With concerns about
Apparel Registry modern slavery in supply
chains rising up the
agenda in the apparel
sector, a new report
advises brands about the
risk of North Korean
forced labour in Chinese
apparel factories
35
27 Timberland helps bring cotton back
Usual suspects lead on transparency to Haiti
Fashion Revolution’s third Transparency Index shows more and For the first time in 30 years, smallholder farmers came together
more apparel brands are sharing supplier information, with the recently in Haiti, to harvest cotton, as part of a project supported
likes of adidas, H&M and Esprit leading the way. By VICTORIA by US outdoor brand, Timberland. MARK LANE reports.
GALLAGHER
38
29-30 What’s next for mohair?
Is Bangladesh going backwards? After a Peta expose on goat farms in South Africa last year, the
mohair industry looked in great peril. But was talk of the sector’s
It might be the world’s second largest garment exporter, but
demise exaggerated? By BRETT MATHEWS
Bangladesh continues to shoot itself in the foot in the issue of labour
rights, with many civil society organisations claiming the situation
for workers is currently worse than ever. Apparel Insider caught up
with Christie Miedema, campaign and outreach coordinator with
the Clean Clothes Campaign, to find out more
31
Aus firm
commercialises
recycling tech
An Australian tech business
which uses a chemical sep-
aration process to recover 41-53
cotton and polyester from
used clothing will launch
In brief
its first commercial facil- A round up of the latest news and research in the global apparel
ity at the end of this year. and textile industries.
BRETT MATHEWS reports
54
32 Dealmakers
‘Paying bus ticket, expecting to fly’
Many brands demand their suppliers maintain rights-respecting
workplaces, but then incentivise them to do the opposite claims a
new Human Rights Watch report. By MARK LANE
www.apparelinsider.com 5
VIEWPOINT
A N A LY S I S A N D I N S I G H T
Economics over altruism
The claim that brands enter low cost sourcing countries to drive improvements in wage rates and labour
standards is misleading, and bears little resemblance to the facts, claims MARK LANE
A key factor for any global business consid- outlining their reasons for entering the Yet the evidence that this is the case is
ering where to source its operations is cost country – and both have been at it again of sketchy to say the least. Brands have been
– of course it is. And a major cost for most late. Recently, the Worker Rights Consortium sourcing from the likes of Bangladesh and
businesses is labour. It is broadly accepted in issued an op-ed which claimed that expan- Cambodia for years, yet year in year out we
industry that businesses will - all other things sion by brands into Ethiopia was part of a hear the same old stories about union bash-
being equal - choose a geographic location ‘race to the bottom’. When one considers that ing, a lack of adherence to basic ILO standards
with cheap labour over one with expensive wage rates are, according to credible reports, and excessive working hours.
labour. It’s a no-brainer, and there is certainly as low as US$0.12 cents an hour in Ethiopia Undoubtedly, many sustainability teams
no law against adopting such a strategy. for garment workers and that workers in within brands have the best of intentions
Here in the UK, to offer an example, one of Bangladesh – the next lowest ranked country on this front, but they face a near unwin-
the region’s poorest regions – the North East for wages – the minimum wage is US$0.46 nable battle to buck local market trends
of England – has done much to boost its cents per hour, this seems like a reasonable regarding wage rates, while the ineffective,
economic growth over the years by wooing claim by the WRC. self-serving social audit industry does little
manufacturing inward investors with grants Also factor in that both Bangladesh and Viet- to help matters.
and the lure of abundant cheap labour. Why nam – with wage rates only marginally higher As far as Ethiopia goes, H&M also said its
would such manufacturers locate to the south than Bangladesh have been the main ben- presence in there was contributing to the
in London when wage rates are so much eficiaries of brands slowly shifting sourcing country’s economic growth and had helped
higher there? away from China. And why have brands been to create around 18,000 jobs since 2013.
Keep these thoughts in mind when consid- moving sourcing from China? Most commen- Now that, and the suggestion that PVH
ering the entry by the likes of PVH Corp and tators agree rising incomes in the country’s has also brought jobs and much-needed
H&M into Ethiopia. It is well known that Ethio- textile industry are a major factor. investment to the country, we are happy
pia has the lowest wages for garment factory And yet, neither company will accept they are to celebrate.
workers in the world. Wages are kept low by chasing lower wage costs. H&M said it had This is what brands and retailers can do when
the fact that there is no national minimum no intention to move production capacity they enter such markets – provide jobs and
wage, organised labour is frowned upon by from other markets to Ethiopia in a ‘race to investment, which is why governments will
factory owners, trade unionists are targeted the bottom, and that it was working with the always welcome them with open arms.
… and all manner of other reasons. International Labour Organization (ILO) to Raising wages and local labour standards,
If H&M and PVH want to source clothing from strengthen industrial relations in the textile however, is another thing entirely and, in
Ethiopia, that’s their choice as far as this publi- industry in Ethiopia. any case, was never the reason H&M or PVH
cation is concerned. Why shouldn’t they? PVH said it had a goal of paying all workers entered Ethiopia in the first place.
What frustrates, however, is the continued no less than a living wage. It had better get The expansion of apparel sourcing into Africa
disingenuousness of both businesses when a move on in Ethiopia if that’s the case. The is about economics not altruism.
Wage Indicator Foundation puts a living wage
in Ethiopia at US$143.90 per month, while
wages as low as US$20 per month have been
reported among garment workers.
The justification for brands entering the
likes of Ethiopia, and Bangladesh and other
sourcing destinations before it, was that they
help raise labour standards and leverage
international pressure to improve working
conditions and wages.
6 Apparelinsider
VIEWPOINT
A N A LY S I S A N D I N S I G H T
Indian cotton farmers feel the heat
GUJARAT – There is concerning news from To offer some perspective here, India is the State University, United States, makes this
India where cotton yields have hit all-time world’s largest producer of cotton, ahead of claim in a research paper, Climate and the
lows for the 2018-19 season amid an ongo- China and the USA. The region of Gujarat is Global Famine of 1876-78, which looks at
ing drought which is affecting 40 per cent the country’s key cotton and textiles hub. the Great Drought of India.
of the country and which some claim to be Estimates suggest that if the region was Singh’s paper suggests that we live in a
linked to climate change. a country, it would be the fourth largest much warmer world than that period,
Latest figures from US department of cotton producing country in the world. hence any droughts are more extreme.
agriculture (USDA) suggest that India is In actual fact, about 42 per cent of India’s Singh says the 1876-’78 and 2015-’16
still expected to be the largest global land area is facing drought, with 6 per droughts were triggered by extremely
producer of cotton in 2018-19, with the cent exceptionally dry according to data strong and long-lasting El Ninos, yet the
crop projected at 28.5 million bales, un- from the Drought Early Warning System, a droughts have continued to persist in India
changed from the previous year. However, real-time drought monitoring platform. post-2016 despite a change from El Nino
drought is hitting yields according to the More worrying too is that the claim that conditions which, she argues, is an indica-
Confederation of Indian Textile Industry climatic conditions that led to drought and tion of the impact of global warming.
(CITI), which says that drought in many famine in the 1870s could make a similar With India being such a major cotton pro-
cotton growing regions of Gujarat, a few drought worse if the current state of glob- ducing country, a continuation of drought
regions of Maharashtra and a few areas in al warming is taken into consideration. conditions and low yields could have seri-
other cotton growing states has affected Deepti Singh, assistant professor at the ous implications for global supply chains.
cotton yield. School of the Environment at Washington We’ll update on this one in our next issue.
France eyes clothing Are suppliers set
to fight back?
incineration ban
PARIS - A French politician is drafting a law for different reasons. Many we have con-
On page 48 we report that the Bangladesh
Garment Manufacturers and Exporters As-
sociation has appointed its first ever leader,
Rubana Huq. Great news for equality, but
to make it illegal for companies to destroy tacted on the issue claim that sometimes
also potentially positive news for manu-
unsold clothing. Brune Poirson, French stock has to be destroyed as it cannot be
facturers. Why? Because Huq has pledged
Secretary of State to the Minister for the passed onto the market if, for instance, it is
to help Bangladesh set a base price for
Ecological and Inclusive Transition, has an- contaminated with mould or has an excess
garment items to ensure proper rates from
nounced the plans as part of broader goals of chemical content.
international brands and to, “bring an end to
in France aimed to moving towards the There is, however, another factor to con-
unhealthy competition locally.”
principles of a circular economy. A bill and sider here which relates to the import and
A concern about such a stance has always
regulatory measures are expected to be export of clothing. There are actually pos-
been that brands would withdraw from the
enacted by the end of 2019 and proposed sible tax rebates available when clothing
country, but Huq seems to have that base cov-
legislation relating to the destruction of is incinerated in accordance with US Cus-
ered. “If all of us remain united, buyers cannot
clothing is part of that. toms and Border Protection programme,
go to other markets overnight,” she said.
The new law could have significant im- whereby if imported merchandise is
Sounds like she means business.
plications for luxury brands which, if we unused and exported or destroyed under
are to believe rumours, routinely destroy customs supervision, 99 per cent of the
unsold stock to preserve the strength of duties, taxes or fees paid on the merchan-
the brand. Burberry last year became a dise can be recovered as 'drawback'. Thus
lightening rod for the issue, yet it is almost proposed laws in France on such issues
certain that many other luxury brands could, in theory, impact luxury French
incinerate stock. brands exporting to the US market – but
Fast fashion brands are also said to engage that’s no bad thing. France is ahead of the
in the practice of stock destruction, albeit rest of Europe on these issues.
www.apparelinsider.com 7
VIEWPOINT
A N A LY S I S A N D I N S I G H T
Debenhams
slumped, various proposed takeovers have offer from Sports Direct, because Ashley
fallen through and most recently has come wanted to be chief executive. We under-
news that its first tranche of 22 stores are stand that Debenhams’ owners were wary
limps onwards
going to close. 50 are set to close in total. of Ashley’s intentions, although it is hard
The company has now passed through a to believe he wouldn’t have done a better
‘pre-pack’ administration process which job of preserving this fine institution than
with more allows a company to sell itself, or its assets,
as a going concern, without affecting
the consortium of banks and hedge funds
who are now running the show.
closures
operational issues. More and more retailers are actually using
Thus Debenhams’ lenders now take control Compulsory Voluntary Arrangements such
of the business, with a view to selling it on. as is the case here to scale back their high
Meanwhile, shareholders lose their invest- street presence and reduce rent bills.
We’ve reported regularly about the ments, which means that the 30 per cent They might sound a good idea, but often
ongoing saga of Debenhams, the UK high that Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley's had see chains limping on long past their sell-
street retailer which appears to have been in the company, which cost about £150m by date towards an undignified end. What
caught in no man’s land in recent years to build up, has been wiped out. happened to companies just going bust?
as far as apparel offering goes. Sales have Debenhams also rejected a £150m rescue
Greenpeace trials new T-shirt standard
AMSTERDAM - Greenpeace started its De- ing t-shirts, bags and other merchandise. Said a statement from Greenpeace: “It uses
tox campaign in 2011, aiming to bring about It claims that the standard reflects the best the best third-party tools and standards that
the removal of 11 potentially hazardous overall practice in the market for detecting are now available for textiles manufacturing
chemicals from the clothing production pro- and eliminating the use and discharge of facilities to address hazardous chemicals and
cess. A year later, the company announced hazardous chemicals, resulting from the ensures full supply chain transparency.
it was suspending sales of all its own textile Detox campaign. “While our 2012 suspension on the mer-
products, including merchandising such chandising and gifting of textiles will remain
as T-shirts. “As an organisation we want to broadly in place, Greenpeace offices are
supply our supporters with T-shirts that going to begin using selected suppliers, who
change the world,” Greenpeace it said at the meet the new trial standards for merchan-
time in a statement. “But we will only be able dising.”
to sell textiles again when the industry can So which standards is Greenpeace using as
produce toxic-free fashion.” a benchmark? “This standard specifies the
There was actually a bit more to it than that use of tools and certifications provided by
– some of the chemicals it was campaign- Oeko-Tex, GOTs and Fairtrade, which (to our
ing to abolish had been found in its own best knowledge) represent the best practice
products. tools available as of the date of this policy,”
However, the NGO says that as from April it said a Greenpeace note.
will be trialling a new standard to start mak- You can’t buy marketing like that.
Rana Plaza claims another victim
DHAKA – April 2019 marked the sixth days after the accident, and helped to recover
anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy. While dozens of bodies and rescue survivors. He also
the Western world has moved on from the spent much time in hospital with survivors.
tragedy, it is easy to forget that the shock- All of this took its toll in the years after. He
waves of it still reverberate for those who were told friends he could still smell decomposing
involved in the aftermath. A recent study, for bodies and would see the ghosts of the dead
instance, showed that half of all survivors of walking around him. He lived alone with his
the incident had never worked again. two dogs.
Then take the story of 27-year old Nowshad He took his own life at the 6th anniversary of
Hasan Himu, a Bangladeshi activist who res- the accident, by pouring kerosene onto his
cued dozens of people when the Rana Plaza body and setting himself on fire. 1,138 died in
factory complex collapsed. He was said to be the actual Rana Plaza accident but one won-
involved in rescue work for 17 consecutive ders how many more victims there are.
8 Apparelinsider
VIEWPOINT
A N A LY S I S A N D I N S I G H T
Why climate is a
leading apparel brands makes for a predict-
able and familiar story. Mainly white? Check.
Predominantly male? Check. Young? Most
young person’s game
definitely not.
We did some research on this issue and the
findings confirmed our worst suspicions. To
offer a few examples:
• Nike has 14 board members, three of them
The people with greatest sense of urgency about climate disruption are those female, with an average age of 60.
with most to lose - the young. So can the white middle aged men steering the • Levi’s has 11 board members, three of them
female with an average of 64.
ship on the boards of leading enterprises be trusted to do the right thing? • VF Corp has 11 board members, three of
By BRETT MATHEWS them female with an average age of 58.
• Gap Inc has 14 board members, four of
What’s the most important quality if you around World Earth day, thousands of
them female with an average age of 57
want to become a well-known and influ- students and activists recently took to the
• H&M has 10 board members, with a 50-50
ential climate activist? We would suggest streets of more than 50 British towns and
male to female split. Average age is 54
youth. Consider, for instance, 16-Year-old cities demanding urgent action on climate
• Adidas has an executive board made up
climate activist Greta Thunberg who has change for the third time in as many months.
of six, with one female and an average age
recently been nominated for a Nobel Peace “This is my future not yours, that's why I
of 54.
Prize. Thunberg has emerged as an inspira- care,” was one of the more printable quotes
• Fast Retailing, which owns Uniqlo, has nine
tion to students while also delivering blister- from those present.
board members with an average age of 61
ing critiques of climate inaction at interna- Age is no coincidence here. By the time all
and no females.
tional climate talks last year and a meeting of these children reach middle age, large
• Associated British Foods, which owns
of the world’s elite in Davos this year. parts of planet earth could be inhabitable if
Primark, has eight board members with two
She initially made her name by skipping we continue along the same trajectory. Why
women and an average age of 60
school every Friday to protest about climate wouldn’t they be angry? Why wouldn’t they
• Asos has seven board members with two
change in front of the Swedish parliament. want to do something about it when the
women and an average age of 56
Others have followed in her wake. In the US, consequences of continuing along the same
There are a few things to note from these fig-
Levi Draheim is the youngest of 21 plaintiffs climate path are so dire.
ures. Firstly consider that within these, there
in a legal action launched in 2015 by two The worry in all of this is that the people
are many board members in their 40s which
associations, Our Children’s Trust and Earth steering the ship are anything but young.
helps bring the average age down. The fact
Guardians, against the US government - a Nowhere is this more in evidence than on
is, there are a great many board members in
case now stalled in the courts for years, to no the boards of big business – and the apparel
the apparel industry in their 60s.
great surprise. industry is no exception.
Is this necessarily a bad thing? In isolation,
The UK has its own such protestors. Indeed, A cursory glance of the boards of the world’s
surely not. With age comes experience and
wisdom. Age need not be a barrier to doing
a great job – and nor should it be.
The problem, of course, is the lack of diversi-
ty. We hear plenty of calls for board diversity
in terms of sex and ethnicity, which we’d
wholeheartedly go along with.
Where climate is concerned, however, age
is the real issue. Would an apparel industry
board member in their early 60s, for instance,
be as motivated as somebody 30 years
younger to take business actions which could
ultimately help the planet another quarter
of a century down the line? Can people who
probably won’t be here in 30-40 years be
trusted to make decisions in the best interests
of the long-term future of the planet? Or will
short-term gain and the pressure to deliver
shareholder ‘value’ win-out?
The likes of Greta Thunberg might domi-
nate the news agenda on climate issues.
But the real influence lies on the boards of
big business, predominantly with white,
middle aged men. The question is, are such
people listening?
www.apparelinsider.com 9
VIEWPOINT
A N A LY S I S A N D I N S I G H T
BBC joins
sustainable
fashion debate
Want to know the most trusted media or- been placed to create a high-quality t-shirt process.
ganisation in the UK? We reckon it’s the good with a minimal environmental footprint. Best “Slowing the fashion down doesn’t fix it.
old BBC. That’s why we were delighted to see of all, it is claimed the T-shirt can be recycled It makes much more sense to recover and
it step into the sustainable fashion debate over and over and need never enter landfill. reuse material than throw it away, so we
recently when BBC Earth and Teemill joined To enable this, it has created a unique recov- built tech to power the reverse logistics of
forces to disrupt the fashion industry and ery system where a customer can scan their fashion,” explained Mart Drake-Knight from
propose a solution go the issue of landfill. worn out product with a mobile phone and Teemill.
The #SustainableMe zero waste t-shirt re- activate a freepost code plus receiving £5 off Julia Kenyon, global brand director for
covers and reuses discarded organic cotton a new item, to make recycling an old T-shirt BBC Earth, added: “BBC Earth launched the
garments mixed with 100 per cent GOTS-cer- practical. #SustainableMe movement in the hope of
tified cotton. Printing on the T-shirts takes Surely major brands could learn something inspiring change and this marks a giant step
place in the UK seconds after an order has from this streamlining of the recycling forward.”
ILO keeps head in sand on Uzbekistan
GENEVA - The use of forced labour remains pick cotton sleeping in disused trains. he told Apparel Insider: “… the government
a “systemic problem” in the cotton fields of As we have pointed out recently, the ILO has made some concessions in terms of
Uzbekistan, claims the latest field dispatch seems in an awful hurry to sing the praises reducing the scale of forced labour in order
from Uzbek-German Forum for Human of Uzbekistan’s reform process. It was at it to remove barriers to the export of Uzbek
Rights. The NGO’s research into the 2018 again in early April, using a press release textiles. Progress in this area has certainly
cotton harvest found that employees from citing, “historic progress on child labour been achieved, but it is not at a level that
most government enterprises and agen- and forced labour in Uzbek cotton fields.” we can speak of the complete elimination
cies, as well as factories, utility companies, Teachers and nurses being forced to pick of the system of forced labour.
banks and law enforcement agencies cotton really is nothing to shout about. “It would therefore be premature to cancel
require their employees to pick cotton A more realistic stance comes from Alisher the boycott of Uzbek cotton and textiles,
during the harvest, or pay for replacement Ilkhamov, a well-known Uzbek expert, as it would mean a high risk of a return to
pickers. sociologist and research associate at the the old system of coercion. In essence, the
From the end of October, it is claimed School of Oriental and African Studies system has basically remained in place,
teachers and nurses were also forced into (SOAS) in London. Commenting on the despite some concessions made by the
the cotton fields. Video footage from the issue of the boycott of Uzbek cotton and government, such as excluding the re-
Uzbek-German forum for human rights whether brands such as Marks & Spencer cruitment of university students and some
shows people who have been forced to and H&M should continue their boycott, categories of employees to pick cotton.”
UK gives a clue
manufacturers to develop a new National
Apprenticeship for Garment Makers.
The initiative is aimed at the development
on reshoring of various roles including trainee couturiers,
sample makers, tailors, dressmakers, costumi-
ers and sample machinists.
How serious is the UK about reshoring its "Once approved, this apprenticeship and the
textile industry? A key stumbling block relevant funding will be available to all em-
here has always been that many of the skills ployers, so we want to make sure the content
associated with textile production have been is right, fit for purpose and appropriate for our
lost since much so much of the industry was industry," UKFT told Apparel Insider.
outsourced to Asia. The UK apparel industry consists of main-
Perhaps things could be changing. The UK ly micro, small and medium enterprises,
Kingdom Fashion and Textile Association producing premium garments for various
(UKFT) recently said it is working with a group markets, including womenswear, menswear
of tailoring, couture, and high-end garment and children-swear.
www.apparelinsider.com 11Cotton
We need to
generally cited as those at the
forefront of environmental
concern, from Marks and Spencer
(M&S), ASOS, and H&M to Stella
talk about
McCartney, reveals an array of
claims that their cotton is more
sustainable - primarily because
they use Cotton Made in Africa
(CmiA), organic cotton, or Better
cotton
Cotton Initiative (BCI) cotton.
One recommendation by last year's
House of Commons Environmental
Audit Committee (EACOM)
report on ‘Fixing fashion: clothing
consumption and sustainability’
was that the UK Government
should reform taxation to reward
Identity cotton standards such as organic cotton, BCI cotton and fashion companies that move from
Cotton Made in Africa (CmiA) are better from an environmental and conventional to organic cotton.
social perspective, right? Actually, because the data on these issues is In February this year, with the
support of the Prince's Trust and
limited and sketchy, we simply do not know whether that is the case M&S, Textile Exchange (TE)
– and this raises a huge issue for apparel brands and retailers, argues launched the 2025 Sustainable
former World Bank analyst and founder of concept brand Commun Cotton Challenge (SCC 2025) aimed
des Mortels VERONICA BATES KASSATLY at promoting a move by fashion
brands, away from conventional
cotton, towards ‘more sustainable’
W hat is the most pressing
sustainability challenge
sustainability are focused on fibres -
and farmed fibres in particular.
cultivation methods - once again,
that primarily means CmiA,
facing the global fashion industry The switch to ‘more sustainable’ organic or BCI cotton.
today? Two words: underpaying and fibres, particularly ‘sustainable Concomitantly in terms
overconsumption. We’re producing cotton’ is what dominates the of fibre ‘scoring’, the
too much clothing and paying too sustainability conversation at Higg MSI, used by the
little for it. the present time. At the annual Pulse, sets the impact of
This ever cheapening of apparel Copenhagen Fashionsummit, the conventional cotton fibre at
production is reflected in the end ‘Pulse of the Fashion Industry’ 60.6 per kilo; switch to CmiA
cost of clothing. Figures from the (Pulse)is measured, with the score and that drops to 14.0; a move
European Environment Agency, for based in large part on whether the to organic cotton lowers it to 11.2.
instance, show that the relative price brands concerned are moving to That is a drop in harmful
of clothing in the EU is about 64 per ‘more sustainable fibres’. But who impact of between 77 per
cent of what we paid in 1996; in the decides what makes a fibre more cent and 82 per cent.
UK and Ireland it's nearer 33 per cent. sustainable? This question is vital,
Higg is a widely
We get what we pay for, and a whole for if the sustainability of fibres
used industry
generation of consumers have come is the yardstick by which
tool and has huge
to expect that, where fashion is large swathes of the
credibility in
concerned, they shouldn’t have to fashion industry are
the apparel and
pay very much. It is taken as given measuring progress,
textile space. And
that the burden of cost-cutting the information and
the use of these kinds
should be shouldered by unseen data on which fibres
of numbers is surely an
farmers, factory, and garment are actually labelled
important factor in the improved
workers a world away. ‘sustainable’ needs
sustainability ratings that H&M and
to be absolutely
As far as sustainability goes, this others regularly report and receive
bullet-proof.
is surely the number one issue the awards for.
global fashion industry needs to I want to focus attention
The message from this tool then – as
address. And yet, if one examines here on cotton to illustrate
well as from the websites of brands
the websites of major brands and how, where questions around
and retailers - is clear: conventional
the environmental initiatives in the ‘sustainable’ fibres are concerned,
cotton is bad, and a switch to a
fashion industry, the sustainability nothing is ever quite as it seems.
‘sustainable’ alternative, such as
debate is heading along a completely A quick look at the corporate organic, is a smart move for the
different path. Discussions around responsibility pages of brands environment and for farmers.
www.apparelinsider.com 13Cotton
Is organic cotton more sustainable Does Textile Exchange (TE) list for comparative
than conventional cotton? And if so, an SEIA for the cottons that it assertions
where is the data which proves this? recommends as more sustainable? disclosed to the
Actually, much of the published No. The SCC 2025 lists no SEIAs at public.
information on organic cotton all. Arguably then, we can make no Of course, ISO
sustainability – including that on comparative assertions about the is voluntary
brand websites – circles back to general sustainability of the different and whilst the
Textile Exchange as the origin. cotton production methods at this LCAs adhere to its
For example, TE’s organic cotton time. standards, the textile and
Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) was Can we at least make some clothing industry in general appears
the sole source for the EACOM restricted assertions, such as not to. The anti-competitive nature
recommendation. “consumes less water” or “reduces of unsubstantiated sustainability
Does this LCA show that organic emissions”? For this we need to look assertions does not seem to be
cotton is more sustainable than at LCAs. Does TE list LCAs for the considered.
conventional production? No. In cotton production systems that it So neither of these LCAs can tell us
fact, in terms of the global debate, it represents as more sustainable? For whether, on environmental grounds
doesn’t really prove anything. And BCI, there does not appear to be so alone (that is, even ignoring
why is that? Because, as the organic much as an LCA - certainly none the crucial social and economic
LCA itself points out on page 57, are listed in the SCC2025. With no aspects), either CmiA cotton, or
to assess comparative sustainability LCA and no SEIA, can we make any organic cotton, is more sustainable
than conventional cotton.
Do they at least give us an
indication that in terms of water
consumption or emissions, CmiA
and/or organic cotton are more
sustainable than conventional
cotton? No. SCC2025 states: For
CmiA cotton: ‘Water Consumption:
1 m3 / 1,000 kg fiber (~100%
reduction - LCA)’
For organic cotton: ‘Water
Consumption:182 m3 / 1,000 kg
fiber (91% reduction - LCA).’
But the LCAs concerned show no
such thing.
The CmiA study actually only
considered Cotton produced
in Zambia and the Ivory Coast.
Zambian agriculture is almost
you need more than just an LCA. comparative assertions about the
entirely rain fed, so conventional
To quote: “Life Cycle Assessment relative sustainability of BCI versus
cotton from Zambia will consume
“
is a powerful standardised tool for conventional cotton on a global
approximately the same amount
quantitative evaluation of potential scale? No, we can’t.
of blue water as CmiA cotton -
environmental impacts on product The 2025 Sustainable Cotton virtually none. The same applies to
basis; however, given the social Challenge cites two cotton I want to focus Ivory Coast cotton.
and socio-economic dimensions of production LCAs. One for CmiA,
sustainability, further aspects than and the TE organic cotton study
attention here As for the organic cotton LCA, this
those investigated in this study mentioned previously. Both of on cotton to considered data from India, Turkey,
China and the USA, and of the
need to be considered for a holistic these LCAs clearly state they cannot illustrate how,
assessment of sustainability of a nine regions considered, 4.5 were
production systems or a comparison
be used to make comparative where questions effectively, completely rain fed. So
assertions between different cotton
with another production system.” production systems – basically
around conventional cotton produced in
In other words, to see if a method because in agriculture you can only ‘sustainable’ those regions will have consumed
approximately the same amount of
of agricultural production is really compare production methods if fibres are irrigation water - none. Another
sustainable, you first and most you are looking at crops grown (or concerned, three regions averaged 50-150 m3
importantly, need to look at how
it impacts the farmers. In study
speak, you need not just an LCA
but also a social and economic
livestock raised) in the same place,
at the same time, under the same
conditions. And because the ISO
has strict standards on what sort of
“
nothing is ever
quite as it seems
of irrigation water per year. Again,
conventional cotton from those
regions probably used much the
same amount of irrigation water as
impact analysis (SEIA). information needs to be provided
14 Apparelinsider“
the organic cotton - very little. permissible. C&A Foundation published an LCA
So how did TE arrive at the massive How about emissions then, does and an associated SEIA comparing
“Water consumption” figures either study indicate that at least The message cotton production by BCI,
conventional and organic cotton
shown? a) By only looking at blue or on that basis, CmiA and/or organic from this farmers in Madhya Pradesh, India.
irrigation water, rather than water cotton are more sustainable than
as a whole. conventional? Not really. tool then – as These studies were not included in
The organic LCA actually puts total Both of these studies take livestock well as from the SCC2025 document, which is a
shame because they are the most up
water consumption at 15,000 m3 inputs to be burden free. This is the websites
to date research we have in this area
per tonne of fibre, rather than 182. actually a major issue for organic of brands and would be very useful reading
The CmiA study claims the total cotton, due to the importance of
freshwater used to produce 1,000 cattle manure and urine as fertilisers
and retailers for brands considering whether or
kg of CmiA lint cotton was around and pesticides (manure is also a - is clear: not to sign up to this initiative.
3,400m3, not 1m3. And b) By common input in Zambian and conventional So what do they tell us? The LCA
found that organic cotton consumed
comparing the CmiA and organic Ivory Coast agriculture). Manure, cotton is bad, more blue water than conventional
irrigation water consumption, with like leather, is a by-product of
that of a now outdated LCA of the beef and dairy industries. It
and a switch to cotton. Moreover, in terms of water
conventional cotton (Cotton Inc. is standard in the sustainability a ‘sustainable’ consumption, farmer income and
2012), which studied primarily industry, to assign a significant alternative, farmer debt, the clear winner in
portion of the livestock burden to the C&AF studies was actually
irrigated cultivation.
such as organic, conventional cotton.
In this context the CmiA LCA leather, but – interestingly - none at
all to manure. is a smart In December 2018, the C&A
states: “101. CmiA is rain fed, i.e.
no water is used for irrigation. The TE organic cotton LCA move for the Foundation issued a statement
In contrast, all the regions under
investigation in COTTON INC.
2012 were at least partially irrigated.
(page 44) actually considered the
implications of abandoning this
anomaly, and found that if as little
environment “
and for farmers
which said: "Organic cotton
cultivation consumes 60 per cent
less blue water when compared to
It therefore comes as no surprise as ten per cent of the livestock conventional cotton cultivation,”
that blue water consumption, which burden is assigned to cotton, the along with some other favourable
is of environmental relevance here, environmental impact of organic statistics for organic cotton about
was orders of magnitude smaller for production roughly doubles. eutrophication, climate change and
CmiA (1m³/1,000 kg lint cotton) so on.
I pointed all of this out to TE, in a
compared to the global average.” series of emails throughout March, For emissions etc these were
And the organic LCA states: 2018. They were unable to help. certainly understated because: a)
“5.2.4 In the regions under study, possibly as a result of a mix-up, or
In summary, my own research
organically cultivated cotton due to social desirability bias, t he
into this issue suggests there is no
receives relatively little irrigation amount of chemical fertilisers and
clear and unambiguous evidence
in addition to naturally occurring pesticides used by organic farmers
that either CmiA or organic cotton
rainfall. The irrigation water was set to zero, despite the fact
consume less water when grown
requirement of a crop is obviously that the associated SEIA had found
under the same conditions
mainly determined by 33-35 percent of organic farmers
as conventional
climatic conditions were using them. and b)
cotton. Nor is
although the once again, manure was
there any
actual usage is assumed to be burden free
conclusive
also influenced - despite the fact that a
evidence
by irrigation 2013 study found that for
that
techniques. farmers in Maharashtra,
This is why India, Manure ranked
low irrigation second in a list of
rates cannot reasons to keep
be attributed livestock after milk to
exclusively to the sell. Indeed, 7 per cent
organic cultivation of the farmers surveyed
emissions are
scheme.” ranked manure as the main reason
lower. The data
to keep animals.
In short, the two LCAs simply is not there to
themselves state that the make such a claim at the current As for blue water (all freshwater
comparative assertions time. inputs excluding rainwater, so
on irrigated water primarily irrigation water in this
Is there any more information out
consumption that context) the LCA definitely does not
there which rigorously compares
TE is making show that organic cotton consumes
the environmental credentials of
are neither 60 per cent less. Indeed it probably
cotton grown to different standards?
valid nor consumes 15 per cent more than
Actually, there is. Last year, the
www.apparelinsider.com 15Cotton
conventional cotton in the study. So are brands such as H&M
The raw data on irrigation and yield and Kering overestimating their
per hectare included in the report progress to sustainability as a
shows that in irrigation alone, blue result - yes, by definition. And
water consumption was 350 tonnes what about what I will loosely refer
per tonne of organic seed cotton. to as ‘factory fibres’ that the Higg
In a telephone discussion on March prefers? Clearly, we should start
12, 2019, CA&F confirmed this looking at those closely on a case by
figure, but were unable to explain case basis. One obvious issue is that
where the figure of 140 tonnes that most LCAs assume best practice.
they were using came from. Nor But much of the damage caused
were they able to by the textile industry is precisely
tell me what because, in order to cut costs, best
the upstream practice is not followed. Effluent
blue water is dumped into lakes and rivers,
consumption untreated; harmful emissions are
was for leaked… but the environmental
organic impact of fibres is calculated as
cotton. if everyone was purchasing their
inputs from the pristine shores of
We can however
Lake Como. But that conversation
conclude that if, as stated,
is for another time. For now, let’s
rainwater was estimated at 79
stick with cotton.
per cent, then of the 1880 tonnes
of blue water used by organic So where to from here? All of this
“
farmers, rainwater provided 1485 is by no means intended to criticise
tonnes. In that case, bluewater apparel brands or retailers for
excluding rainwater, equalled 395 shifting towards BCI-accredited
tonnes per tonne of organic seed or organic cotton. Instead, it is But much of the damage caused by the textile
cotton. That is 15 per cent more hoped that it can help kick-start a industry is precisely because, in order to cut
much-needed debate around issues
costs, best practice is not followed. Effluent
than the 344 tonnes
of bluewater used to
grow one tonne
of conventional
of cotton sourcing and, particularly,
claims around sustainable sourcing.
Is the move towards cotton
is dumped into lakes and rivers, untreated;
harmful emissions are leaked…
“
cotton. standards such as BCI, organic and
CmiA actually more sustainable?
What conclusions
Based on my own investigations into
can we draw from
the issue, we simply do not know.
all of this? The C&A
studies were in one area, Do we need more data comparing Further Reading:
measured over one period of time, the different ways in which cotton is
so to draw broader conclusions grown? Of course we do. If brands Please find below links to all research material
referenced in this article. If any reader has any
from them would be misleading. are switching in their droves to questions about this article, please feel free
But this is the point: basing various cotton standards, we need to to email the editor, Brett Mathews: brett@
apparelinsider.com or the author Veronica
comparative assertions on the be absolutely sure they are doing it Bates Kassatly: veronica@commundesmortels
C&A Foundation’s LCA has the for the correct reasons and based on
same limitations as using the LCAs top quality research and data. Declining clothing prices, European
Environment Agency: bit.ly/2VTlbpr
related to organic and CmiA Above all, we need to be sure we
Textile Exchange Organic Cotton LCA: bit.
cotton referred to above. are doing the right thing by cotton ly/2Uo5zs8
None of these LCAs, in farmers - many of whom are UK Government fashion enquiry report: bit.
isolation, should be extremely poor. Switching from ly/2DQEBDn
used to influence conventional to identity cottons Higg cotton scoring: bit.ly/2GfDGO1
cotton sourcing on comes at a cost to farmers, and Contribution of Livestock to Livelihood of
Farmers bit.ly/2GTgqaa
a grand scale, as the conversion can be challenging, Textile Exchange organic cotton classification
appears to be the particularly with organic cotton. guide 2017: bit.ly/2XhUFpW
case at the present This is not a switch to be CmiA LCA: bit.ly/2IAr8U5
time. undertaken lightly, and should not C&AF LCA: bit.ly/2v8Mmkd
So is the Higg overstating the be made without comprehensive C&AF SEIA: bit.ly/2GZvuVE
negative impact of conventional data to demonstrate that this is the ISO 14040 (first edition) https://web.stanford.
edu/class/cee214/Readings/ISOLCA.pdf
cotton - probably. Is it understating right step for farmers – as well as ISO standards for Environmental Declarations:
the relative impact of CmiA and for the environment. bit.ly/2IAGybe
organic cotton - almost certainly. Cotton in Zambia: bit.ly/2IFJeEa
16 ApparelinsiderCotton
In defence of
growth and more brands are investing
in farmer training.
Conventional cotton production
organic cotton
systems are shifting away from
chemically intensive systems that were
the norm just 10-15 years ago. Around
the world farmers are utilising more
effective irrigation systems, adopting
integrated pest management practices
La Rhea Pepper, a US organic cotton farmer and managing director as well as green manure and crop
of Textile Exchange, responds to our cover story rotation systems in order to reduce
pesticide use.
T he challenges of the textile
industry are complex and
methods are better for land and for
farmers. I can speak for thousands of
Another thing to remember is that
organic is not a purity claim – it
demand multi-faceted solutions. For organic farmers around the world as is a production claim – it is about
consumers, the first message is to well as from my own experience as how I grow my cotton. We live in a
invest in fewer, yet higher quality and a west Texas organic cotton farmer. polluted world, the river which many
value-oriented products. For natural Organic farms in our communities farmers irrigate from has pollution.
fibres – which are renewable and bio- are in, many cases, more productive My neighbours spray poison on their
degradable – purchase regenerative, than our neighbours, we provide crops. Even though I have a buffer
organic, responsible and more more jobs and economic diversity zone around my field, I have had
sustainable fibers. For synthetic – go as well with investments in strong chemical drifts on the edges of my
for recycled. rotation crop programmes like field which have resulted in either the
For Brands - substituting fibres vineyards, peanuts. death of my cotton, or areas where
that minimise or lower the negative I have also had the privilege of I have had to destroy the crop when
impacts and increase the positive visiting many organic farming the pesticides residues are too high.
impacts is a primary strategy. projects around the world. For What makes a fiber more
Creating a business model that pays example, in Tanzania, you know sustainable? Where do you cross
fair prices to farmers and factory that the village is organic before the threshold from doing less harm,
workers presents one of the biggest you get there! There are no children to doing good? What are the real
challenges. So – where do we start, and women on the roads carrying choices here? Do nothing? Maintain
and where do we focus our energies? used pesticide containers with water the status quo?
There are a number of groups and to the village. Because the farmers Organic production systems don’t
organisations that are working to are getting a fair price – they have just reduce toxic and persistent
address the ongoing challenges drilled their own well, and the
“
pesticides – they eliminate them.
within the textile industry. The focus children are in school. Which water well do you want to
of Textile Exchange is on fibres and Successful organic production is drink from? Which field do you want
materials – to drive the adoption
of more sustainable, preferred and
accomplished by design – with Programmes to work in?
farmers trained on soil health and
organic fibres and materials. insect management with crop
that have strong We welcome the debate – we want to
promote best practices and solutions
As pointed out in the adjoining rotation, increased bio-diversity and market partners across all fibres and materials.
article [cover story] – Life Cycle water management. At the present are having There will also be a special workshop
Analysis’ (LCAs) don’t give the time, we still have farm programmes
strong steady on ‘what LCAs are and are not’ during
complete picture – they don’t ‘by default’ – which may address the
measure bio-diversity, microbial chemical use, but leave the farmers growth and our annual conference in Vancouver
the week of October 15. They may not
activity in the soil and they aren’t without the tools and knowledge to more brands be a perfect tool, but understanding
capturing the toxicity of the water…
or the economics. What LCAs
can do is provide indicators and
fully benefit in a holistic approach.
We do know that cotton farmers
as a whole are some of the most
“
are investing in
farmer training
what they tell us will help us make
informed decisions.
measurements in a few specific impoverished. Maintaining the status
areas. More research needs to occur quo isn’t changing things for the
to promote best practices for soil, better. The good news is that there
for water, and most importantly for are islands of good that are growing,
the people caring for the land. The where farmers are getting a fair
organic cotton LCA (commissioned price and training to improve yields
by Textile Exchange) provides a utilising crop rotation. Organic cotton
snapshot of impacts, providing a base is now grown in 20+ countries with
line of information. over 100 programmes and projects.
However, you don’t need LCAs Programmes that have strong market
to know that organic production partners are having strong steady
www.apparelinsider.com 1718 Apparelinsider
Image by
Ben Langdo/Mile 91 for C&A Foundation
Cotton
‘We can’t turn a
on the context. Growing cotton on
large mechanised farms in highly
regulated economies is completely
deaf ear to farmers’
different from growing cotton on
small household farms in developing
countries and economies.
In the context of smallholder
farmers, our work on the ground
In an op-ed in response to our cover story, the C&A Foundation tells us that “more sustainable”
agrees on the need for better data on cotton impacts. By Anita standards often work better for them.
Chester head of sustainable raw materials at C&A Foundation We have spoken to thousands of
smallholder farmers and dozens of
organisations that represent them.
M easuring the impact and
sustainability of fibres is
For example, since its inception
in 2016 our partner the Organic
We know directly from them what
issues farmers face and we have seen
extremely complicated. And as Cotton Accelerator (OCA) has been thousands of cases where low-input
Apparel Insider rightly points out, focused on the collection of primary and low-cost systems help them
current data and methodologies to farm-level data to assess the impact reach financial stability, and where
gather that data are flawed. Life Cycle of organic cotton on farmers and low or no-chemical methodologies
Assessments (LCAs) are limited and their families. OCA reports data help improve farmer health and the
don’t readily allow for comparison. through a harmonised monitoring health of their soil.
It is important to understand these and evaluation protocol that includes C&A Foundation works with
limitations, nevertheless LCAs are a third-party validation. deeply committed organisations
valuable tool available to us. As the sector works to make tools and who are intensely engaged with
While we continue to encourage the methodologies more technologically farming communities. They use this
collection of primary data and while sophisticated, precise and scalable, understanding of local context to
the sector continues to develop more OCA is bringing stakeholders build the capacities of farmers, help
robust tools, we need to use and together to address pressing issues connect them to premium markets,
improve what we do have. And that collectively. Its intention is to work and improve their livelihoods. These
includes LCAs and their associated with sustainable cotton standards, organisations are not partial to one
Social and Economic Impact as well as the conventional sector, to form of cotton production or one
Analysis (SEIA) studies. adopt a coordinated global framework particular standard. Their main
and index for collecting, measuring interest is to do right by farmers and
At C&A Foundation, we
and reporting on primary impact data the environment they depend upon.
commissioned an LCA and SEIA to
at scale. And it is the combination of this
understand the baseline conditions
While we look for solutions to our is grassroots knowledge and data
in the cotton producing region of
data issues, here is what we do know. from studies that informs our own
Madhya Pradesh, India. This study
Under poor management practices, strategy.
is meant to inform our work and to
start a conversation. We do not ask and depending on where and how While we work to improve the quality
it’s grown, cotton can contribute of data, and work with the industry to
“
brands to source cotton based on the
data in LCAs and our partners in the to over-consumption of water and tackle market barriers and help ensure
chemicals, potentially causing great farmers are receiving fair premiums
field do not use them to convince
environmental harm. From years for their produce, we cannot turn a
farmers to make choices.
of work in the field with grassroots In the context deaf ear to farmers experiences and
We agree with Veronica Kassatly’s organisations in India, we also know of smallholder we cannot continue to let them fend
analysis that LCAs should not be
used in isolation or become the sole
that smallholder cotton farmers face farmers, our for themselves. All we can do is help
tremendous distress. After decades find solutions and create opportunities
source of information to influence of conventional cultivation, many
work on the
for farmers to choose the ones that
cotton sourcing decisions. Rather, farmers live in a perpetual cycle of ground tells work best for them.
they should be used to piece together debt that traps them in poverty; they us that “more Let us continue the necessary debate
a complex puzzle - limited as they face extreme health issues; and they sustainable” on numbers and calculations, on
may be - while we continue to are seeing a diminishing productivity
standards often methodologies and comparisons, and
develop better, more comprehensive
tools.
Many of C&A Foundation’s partners
and biodiversity of their fields caused
by deteriorating soil health.
The decision of what cotton farming them
“
work better for continue to bring the sector together
to harmonise and collate data so
that we can in fact compare across
have been gathering primary data. practises to use very much depends standards and regions.
www.apparelinsider.com 19You can also read
