Organic Cotton
We visit cotton fields and hear the opinions of farming households,
in order to establish a sustainable relationship with them and deliver high-quality cotton to our customers.
We visit cotton fields and hear the opinions of farming households,
in order to establish a sustainable relationship with them and deliver high-quality cotton to our customers.
We visit cotton fields and hear the opinions of farming households,
in order to establish a sustainable relationship with them and deliver high-quality cotton to our customers.
First, we introduce the typical rules for organic cotton.
Organic cotton is cultivated on about 0.02% of the world's arable land area.
Currently, organic cotton is produced in 19 countries around the world.98% of organic cotton is produced in India, China, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Tajikistan, the United States and Tanzania.
In 2018, cotton production was 25.82 million tons, of which 180,000 tons were organic cotton, accounting for only about 0.7% of the total. (source: TE Organic Cotton Market Report 2019)
Organic cotton farmers can grow "organic cotton" only after they have been certified by a third-party certification body. The must refrain for using prohibited pesticides and adhere to standards regarding fertilized soil.
Genetic modification is a method of recombining genes extracted from cells of other organisms into crops to give them new properties.
In the world, the proportion of genetically modified cotton is about 76% of the total cultivated area of cotton (32.9 million hectares). Japan relies on imports for almost all of its cotton.
Japan's total cotton imports are 103,000 tons, of which 92% are genetically modified cotton.(source: the 2018 Biotech Information Promotion Association)
Traceability is a system that records the route of cotton from production to distribution, storage, and sales, so it can be traced back to cotton production.
By clarifying information such as "when, where, who produced it, and how it was distributed", the reliability of organic cotton can be increased and consumers can rest assured.
Next, we introduce global certifications for organic cotton textiles and products.
Both certification standards require that all manufacturing processes be clear, using raw materials that have been certified in accordance with EU ECC regulations or US NOP regulations, and all manufacturing factories are required to undergo annual on-site and document inspections by a third-party certification body and be certified.
On the other hand, in addition to the organic fiber mixing ratios being different (GOTS 70% or higher, OCS 5% or higher), the scope of certification for environmental and social standards differs between the two.GOTS must meet all environmental standards such as dyes and auxiliaries used and comply with social standards such as working environment, but OCS does not set environmental or social standards.