With demand for organic cotton-made garments gradually increasing in the domestic market, apparel retailers are looking to keep more of such stock on their racks  Demand of organic cotton has been increasing in the domestic as well as the global market. In order to cash in on this rising demand among consumers and thereby increase their profits, several textile manufacturers are focusing on making garments out of organic cotton. It has been noted that leading Indian companies in this segment such as Arvind and Trident are also engaging in manufacturing clothes using organic cotton.With the increase in consumer demand for clothing made out of organic cotton, retailers are also looking to keep such stock on their shelves. “Modern-day consumers, especially the youth, are much aware of social issues like environment protection. Considering that organic cotton apparels are made of materials such as hemp and bamboo, the products are eco-friendly and also preferred by designers who are actively involved with the ‘go green’ movement. As a result, demand for such garments is gradually picking up, boosting the business of the manufacturers as well as retailers,” says Satyapal Sharma, managing director of Siddharth Global, a large-sized apparel manufacturer and exporter in New Delhi.
Benefits
Even though traditional cotton is still the most used clothing fabric worldwide, sales of organic cotton-made clothing has gained momentum in recent years. In order to encourage its usage further, Greenpeace has come out with a report that states the benefits of organic cotton for farmers as well as the environment.
According to Rajesh Krishnan, campaign manager for sustainable agriculture campaign of Greenpeace India, “With the implementation of organic farming, farmers would be able to earn more. This would also help them to cut down on the loans that they were dependent upon for purchasing chemical pesticides and fertilisers. On the other side, with the usage of Bt cotton (genetically engineered cotton), the input cost is double as the cost of seed, chemical fertilisers and pesticides is high.”
If farmers reduce input costs by opting for organic production, whereby they would not have to depend on chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilisers that destroy the fertility of the soil and also the biodiversity, it would consequently also bring down the total production costs of textile manufacturers. This in turn can prompt retailers to price organic cotton-made clothing reasonably to attract consumers. However, such clothing generally comes at high prices because of its increasing demand and the superior quality of the fabric.
However, if more consumers start opting for organic cotton-made garments, they day is not far when retailers would be offering such clothing at the prices of traditional cotton-made apparels. But for that to happen, not only is there a need to step up organic farming of cotton, but also to spread awareness about the benefits of such clothing among consumers.
In this context, Sharad Bhatter, treasurer of the Federation of Hosiery Manufacturers Association of India, says, “Marketing of organic cotton would take long and it would gain popularity in due course of time. Therefore, the product needs to be promoted well in the domestic retail market.”
By generating demand for organic cotton-made garments among consumers, retailers would not only be having better quality apparels on their racks, but will also be playing a role in saving the environment.
Sabrina Mitchell |
