Questions raised over 'organic cotton' clothes

NEW YORK • Michael Kors retails its organic cotton and recycled polyester women's zip-up hoodies for US$25 (S$34) more than its conventional cotton hoodies. Urban Outfitters sells organic sweatpants that are priced US$46 more than a conventional pair. And Tommy Hilfiger's men's organic cotton slim-fit T-shirt is US$3 more than its conventional counterpart.

"This product contains independently certified organic cotton grown without chemical pesticides, chemical fertilisers and genetically modified seeds," the product description reads.

With the fashion industry trumpeting its sustainability commitments, such labels are both a means of value signalling and a lure to consumers willing to pay more to act better.

But much of the "organic cotton" that makes it to store shelves may not actually be organic at all.

The largest single producer of the world's organic cotton supply is India, which accounts for half of the organic cotton sold globally. Production in India alone grew 48 per cent in the last year.

But much of this growth is fake, say Indians who source, process and grow organic cotton. At the heart of the problem is an opaque certification system rife with opportunities for fraud.

Consumers are assured of "organic" material by brands, which rely on official stamps of approval from external organisations. Those in turn rely on reports from opaque local inspection agencies.

But now, the credibility of these agencies has been destroyed. In November, the European Union voted to no longer accept Indian organic exports certified by the main companies responsible for such cotton: Control Union, EcoCert and OneCert. And in January, the body that provides accreditation to organic inspection agencies, IOAS, withdrew OneCert's ability to inspect and certify cotton processors for these labels.

Mr Crispin Argento, founder of consulting firm Sourcery which helps brands source organic cotton, has often encountered cases where suppliers disappear when asked for proof of authenticity.

He estimates between half and four-fifths of "organic cotton" from India is not genuine.

Many fashion brands and their sourcing partners admit that the system is not perfect but say any problems are located outside their own supply chains.

But at least one brand has decided it no longer wants to look the other way. Womenswear brand Eileen Fisher explains on its website that it is moving away from certified organic cotton to address "an uncomfortable fact".

"The 'organic' cotton that's sold each year far exceeds the amount that is actually grown," it says.

The two main links in the long supply chain between farmers and shoppers are Western organisations that provide organic cotton labels, and local inspection offices.

The gold standard label comes from German firm Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), which is the basis for the other main organic cotton label: Textile Exchange's Organic Cotton Standard.

Certification starts at the gin, where cotton fibre is separated from seed. A paper transaction certificate is issued each time the cotton is sold along the supply chain.

But neither firm performs inspections themselves, instead verifying claims via the local offices of international inspection firms, including OneCert, EcoCert, and Control Union, which certifies more than 100 programmes in 70 countries.

These businesses are paid by the very ginners, spinners and farmers they are supposed to be policing. They produce a paper certificate, which is sent to GOTS and Textile Exchange, which pass it on to clothing manufacturers, who then pass it on to brands.

Insiders say that at each step, there is little to stop a facility from selling a pile of conventional cotton as organic, then changing a paper transaction certificate to match the larger volume.

International trust in India's ability to oversee organic agriculture has cratered.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) terminated its agreement last year to recognise organic products certified by firms overseen by the Indian authority, citing its lack of transparency. All such firms in India must now be accredited by the USDA's standards.

But the problem is not confined to India, experts say. Questions have also been raised about organic cotton from China and Turkey, which account for another quarter of the global supply.

NYTIMES