Organic cotton

For our environmentally friendly and recyclable TRIGEMA Change® collection, we rely exclusively on sustainable organic cotton in our production process. The organic cotton from controlled organic cultivation is certified with the GOTS seal, the “Global Organic Textile Standard”. This is a comprehensive and globally recognized standard for textile processing from organically produced natural fibers such as organic cotton. The materials used must be free of pollutants and all social criteria must be respected locally. The GOTS certification of our TRIGEMA Change® organic cotton products therefore offers important benefits not only for you as a consumer, but also for the environment and the local cotton farmers.

While conventional cotton farming is geared towards rapid yield maximization, organic cotton farming focuses on the long-term preservation of natural resources – such as soil fertility, clean drinking water and ecological balance. This is achieved by a close-to-nature management of arable land.

Organic cotton is produced with less water consumption than conventional cotton. Planting takes into account the climatic conditions, so that consumption is covered by natural rainfall. If necessary, the fields are supplied with very sparing, so-called droplet irrigation, which irrigates the plants with very small amounts but continuously.

Organic cotton is grown in mixed cultivation and crop rotation. This means cultivating different and changing plant species in a field. For example, sunflowers are placed on the edges of the field, mung beans and chickpeas are placed in the middle of the field. In addition to cotton, arable crops are produced for the farmers’ own needs and soil fertility is preserved in a natural way. The diversity of fauna promotes biodiversity and maintains the natural balance between beneficial and pests, which prevents the spread of pests. At the same time, the added plants are more attractive to many insects than cotton, which avoids an intensive infestation. Farmers produce fertilisers and pesticides for the most part free of charge and organically from compost, cattle dung and local plants.

Benefits of organic cotton for the cotton farmer

Benefit from the low production costs resulting from the elimination of expensive fertilisers and plant protection products and the higher selling prices for organic quality, the net profit for farmers is profitable. Long-term supply contracts also guarantee stable prices and sales volumes. These are decisive advantages over conventional farms – which is why organic cotton also favours fair social standards.

Benefits of organic cotton for consumers

For the consumer, organic cotton has the advantage that it is not contaminated by pollutants. This is also guaranteed by the sustainable and environmentally friendly processing of the raw cotton and also requires a controlled treatment of the waste water in the production plants.

Economic viability of organic cotton

Compared to conventional cultivation, organic cotton yields are lower. The ecological management of the fields is more labour-intensive, therefore more expensive and less efficient in terms of short-term yield maximization. However, the environmentally friendly way of working saves large amounts of energy, chemicals and drinking water, protects valuable ecosystems, helps to preserve the biodiversity of flora and fauna and improves the health and economic situation of people. If we add up the costs incurred by the general public for environmental damage, consequential damage and poor public health, the cost of these processes is likely to be much higher than the additional cost of organic cotton.