Organic Cotton
For our trigema Organic & Recycled collection, we use organic cotton in our production process as well as recycled cotton for products containing a proportion of recycled material. The organically grown cotton is certified according to the GOTS standard, the „Global Organic Textile Standard“. This is a comprehensive and internationally recognised standard for the processing of textiles made from organically produced natural fibres such as organic cotton. The standard includes requirements relating to the materials used as well as environmental and social criteria. The GOTS certification of our trigema Organic & Recycled products made from organic cotton documents compliance with these requirements within the certified scope.
Maintaining soil fertility, managing water use and crop rotation all play an important role in organic cotton cultivation. This is achieved, among other things, through appropriate management of the agricultural land.
Irrigation is adapted to the local climatic conditions. Natural rainfall can cover part of the water requirement. Where necessary, the fields are irrigated in a targeted and continuous manner using so-called drip irrigation.
Organic cotton is grown using mixed cultivation and crop rotation. This means cultivating different and alternating plant species on the same field. Sunflowers, for example, are planted around the edges of the fields, while mung beans and chickpeas are grown in the centre. In addition to cotton, this also produces crops for the farmers' own use. The diversity of cultivated plants can encourage beneficial organisms and make it more difficult for pests to spread. At the same time, the additional plants are more attractive than cotton to many insects. Compost, cattle manure and native plants are among the materials used for fertilisation and plant protection.
Benefits of Organic Cotton for Cotton Farmers
Long-term supply contracts can provide farmers with greater planning certainty in terms of prices and sales volumes. Their economic situation depends, among other things, on production costs, yields, selling prices and the respective contractual conditions.
Benefits of Organic Cotton for Consumers
For GOTS-certified products, the requirements of the standard apply within the respective certified scope. The corresponding certifications and material information provide consumers with information about the materials used and how they are processed.
Economic Viability of Organic Cotton
Compared with conventional cultivation, organic cotton yields are lower. Organic farming methods are more labour-intensive and therefore more expensive and less efficient in terms of short-term yield maximisation. Economic viability therefore depends on yield, labour input, operating resources and selling prices.
What is recot²®?
The recot²® quality refers to a blend of fine, GOTS-certified organic cotton and recycled cotton obtained from „pre-consumer“ process waste, meaning waste generated during production processes in the textile industry. Processing these raw materials results in a premium yarn made from 100% cotton.
The term recot²® refers to the yarn concept combining organic cotton and recycled pre-consumer cotton.
Only selected raw materials and process waste certified according to the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) are used for recot²®. In accordance with the strict guidelines of STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, the yarns produced are regularly tested for harmful substances.
In addition, the yarns are produced according to the criteria of OEKO-TEX® STeP and GRS.
recot²® meets the requirements for the government-backed textile label GREEN BUTTON and the MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX® product label. We source this premium yarn from one of the last spinning mills in Germany, Gebr. Otto Baumwollfeinzwirnerei GmbH + Co. KG. Further information about recot²® can be found in our article in the trigema Magazine