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Organic textiles: IMO certifies traceability of organic cotton
(Weinfelden February 12, 2008) The Institute for Marketecology (IMO), one of the most prominent organic certifiers, newly offers certification according to two recently developed new organic cotton standards.
The Organic Exchange has recently established two new world-wide standards for companies who wish to support their organic cotton products with a fibre-only–claim that is highly credible due to third-party certification. IMO has contributed significantly to the development of the two standards.
As demand in organic textiles continues to grow, the textile sector needs trustworthy quality systems to validate its organic claims. Both standards are well received by the market, because not all producers can meet the more holistic requirements of the already well established Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).
The OE 100 Standard is applicable to companies that seek third-party control of the 100% organic cotton fibre-content in their products, and the OE Blended Standard ensures that organically grown cotton is being used to the claimed percentage.
Both standards set clear and detailed criteria on how to prove the origin of organic cotton, how to separate and identify the organic cotton products and how the quantitative organic product flow has to be documented and monitored. The related quality assurance system counts on an inspection and certification procedure for all textile operations throughout all production, processing and manufacturing steps.
The Organic Exchange thereby encourages the growth of organic cotton farming, without addressing the environmental and social criteria throughout the textile processing chain. “Consumers who value social standards and minimal environmental impact of the processing of their textiles should continue to watch out for articles produced according to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)”, recommends Mrs. Mecki Naschke, head of the textile department at IMO. Consumer demand in social responsible production considering the whole textile chain is growing as the increasing number of inquiries for certification according to the recently established IMO Social & FairTrade Programme shows.
However, IMO expects broad acceptance of the new OE standards with lasting effects: Leading textile companies demand Organic Exchange compliance as minimum production standard for blended yarn. „Most of the cotton sold on anonymous world-markets is produced using massive amounts of artificial agro-chemicals such as synthetic pesticides, defoliants, fertilizers etc. It is far away from being natural”, says Rainer Bächi, director of IMO. “OE certification increases the demand for organically grown cotton. Thus OE certification is considered as the first step towards more sustainable textiles because it greatly improves the human health and the environment where the biggest impact occurs – at farm-level.“
Therefore IMO today newly offers certification according to the Organic Exchange standards besides the established GOTS certification and the certification of organic fibre projects such as cotton, wool, hemp, silk and others.
Organic Exchange is a US-based non-profit business organisation focused on facilitating the growth of a global organic cotton industry. Among the members of the Organic Exchange are Assisi Garments, C&A, Coop, Cutter & Buck, Fountain Set, Hess Natur, Marks and Spencer, Mountain Equipment Cooperative, Nike, Norm Thompson, Otto Versand, Patagonia, Indorama, Kahatex and Timberland.
Contact:
Mrs. Ines Hensler, Tel: +41 (0) 71 626 0 633, Email: news@imo.ch
>> Return to the IMO Textile Service Page.
The Organic Exchange has recently established two new world-wide standards for companies who wish to support their organic cotton products with a fibre-only–claim that is highly credible due to third-party certification. IMO has contributed significantly to the development of the two standards.
As demand in organic textiles continues to grow, the textile sector needs trustworthy quality systems to validate its organic claims. Both standards are well received by the market, because not all producers can meet the more holistic requirements of the already well established Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).
The OE 100 Standard is applicable to companies that seek third-party control of the 100% organic cotton fibre-content in their products, and the OE Blended Standard ensures that organically grown cotton is being used to the claimed percentage.
Both standards set clear and detailed criteria on how to prove the origin of organic cotton, how to separate and identify the organic cotton products and how the quantitative organic product flow has to be documented and monitored. The related quality assurance system counts on an inspection and certification procedure for all textile operations throughout all production, processing and manufacturing steps.
The Organic Exchange thereby encourages the growth of organic cotton farming, without addressing the environmental and social criteria throughout the textile processing chain. “Consumers who value social standards and minimal environmental impact of the processing of their textiles should continue to watch out for articles produced according to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)”, recommends Mrs. Mecki Naschke, head of the textile department at IMO. Consumer demand in social responsible production considering the whole textile chain is growing as the increasing number of inquiries for certification according to the recently established IMO Social & FairTrade Programme shows.
However, IMO expects broad acceptance of the new OE standards with lasting effects: Leading textile companies demand Organic Exchange compliance as minimum production standard for blended yarn. „Most of the cotton sold on anonymous world-markets is produced using massive amounts of artificial agro-chemicals such as synthetic pesticides, defoliants, fertilizers etc. It is far away from being natural”, says Rainer Bächi, director of IMO. “OE certification increases the demand for organically grown cotton. Thus OE certification is considered as the first step towards more sustainable textiles because it greatly improves the human health and the environment where the biggest impact occurs – at farm-level.“
Therefore IMO today newly offers certification according to the Organic Exchange standards besides the established GOTS certification and the certification of organic fibre projects such as cotton, wool, hemp, silk and others.
Organic Exchange is a US-based non-profit business organisation focused on facilitating the growth of a global organic cotton industry. Among the members of the Organic Exchange are Assisi Garments, C&A, Coop, Cutter & Buck, Fountain Set, Hess Natur, Marks and Spencer, Mountain Equipment Cooperative, Nike, Norm Thompson, Otto Versand, Patagonia, Indorama, Kahatex and Timberland.
Contact:
Mrs. Ines Hensler, Tel: +41 (0) 71 626 0 633, Email: news@imo.ch
>> Return to the IMO Textile Service Page.
