This environmental cost is further increased by the failure of organic cotton-growing practices to catch on: less than 1% of the world's total production is organic. Yet organic cotton production practices reduce the impact on the planet's ecosystem, since priority given to organic compounds and crop rotation. And thanks to better soil and moisture retention, water consumption in the fields is also reduced. No reference standards exist (yet) for certifying organic cotton, such as the EU certified organic label used for food, although the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) is one of the most frequently used.
Growing cotton has a high environmental impact. Organic supply channels adopt more responsible practices – in the field and in the treatments used on cotton fibres.
Organic cotton-growing practices still a tiny minority
“At Carrefour, our aim is that by 2025, half of the cotton supply channels used for our Tex brand of textile products should be from organic plantations”.