US brand commits to doubling organic cotton
US sportswear apparel brand Anvil Knitwear has made a commitment with the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative to double the production of organic cotton in the US.
The company is the largest consumer of US cotton and will encourage other producers to switch to organic cotton. Anvil Knitwear will also purchase any cotton making the transition to organic cotton production at a price close to the cost of organic cotton.
“It has been such a roller-coaster ride with (organic cotton) markets appearing and disappearing,” said Darlene Vogler, who produces organic cotton with her husband and son in Lamesa, Texas. “It’s exciting where we are today with such a strong commitment from Anvil, so the markets are looking a lot rosier.”
According to Caterina Conti, Anvil Knitwear’s executive vice president, the company introduced an organic apparel line as part of its sustainability initiative five years ago. It uses transitional cotton, leftover textile clippings and recycled plastic bottles in its apparel as well, but she said the company wanted to do more to expand its sustainable apparel and boost supply.
“There’s not enough organic cotton to feed the need, the demand,” Ms Conti said.
The current organic producers in the South Plains do not have the ability to increase acreage to meet Anvil Knitwear’s goal. Accoridng to Jimmy Wedel, Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative president, conventional producers need to convert to producing organic cotton.
“Historically, when we tried to increase acreage, it was a little different,” he said. “Now, we’re able to tell a producer, if you grow it, we’ll buy it. We’ll have a buyer for it.”
In May 2010, sportstextiles.com reported that Anvil Knitwear had been named by Organic Exchange (OE) as one of the top 12 brands worldwide for use of organic cotton.
