Research: Organic Cotton Market Grew 20 Percent in 2010

According to a report by Textile Exchange (formerly Organic Exchange), neither the recession nor unstable economies put a damper on the fast-growing organic textiles industry which grew 20 percent to an estimated $5.61 billion in 2010.
 

According to the results of TE surveys and interviews used to develop the 2010 Global Market Report on Sustainable Textiles, the Top Ten organic cotton-using brands and retailers globally last year were:

H&M (Sweden)
C&A (Belgium)
Nike, Inc. (Oregon, USA)
Inditex (Zara) (Spain)
adidas (Germany)
Greensource (Washington, USA)
Anvil (New York, USA)
Target (Minnesota, USA)
Disney Consumer Products (California, USA) and
Otto Group (Germany).
 

“Consumers continue to be committed to supporting the use of organic cotton and other sustainable fibers, while brands and retailers continue to make their product lines more sustainable by continuing to increase their use of such fibers and safer, more innovative manufacturing processes,” said LaRhea Pepper, Textile Exchange managing director.
 

Several brands and retailers more than doubled their usage of organic cotton alone and plan to do so in 2012 as well. Others with large programs are staying the course. As a result, Textile Exchange projects the global organic cotton market will increase another 20 percent in 2011 to result in an estimated $6.2 billion market in 2011 and $7.4 billion market in 2012.
 

2010 was the first year that Textile Exchange requested data regarding industry use of sustainable fibers including recycled and cellulosic fiber. Two fibers, recycled polyester and Tencel, were the two leading fibers in terms of quantity reported by responding companies, with all respondents indicating substantial increases in use of those and other sustainable fibers in the upcoming years. The 2010 results will form the base line for next year’s report.
 

Key areas identified for collaborative work in the future include developing a harmonized definition of a sustainable or preferred textiles and equipping more players in the textile, apparel and home furnishings industry to integrate sustainability into their business and product strategies through training, tools and information.
 

Textile Exchange will host the 2011 Sustainable Textiles Conference in Barcelona, Spain, Sept. 18-20, 2011. Keynote speakers include David Asquith, David Cook, John Frazier, Patrick Hohmann and Peter Waeber.

Leaders from throughout the organic and sustainable textiles supply chains around the world are attending including adidas, Anvil Knitwear, C&A, H&M, Nike, Disney Consumer Products, Otto Group, Patagonia and others.