Retailers Seeing Growth in Consumer Purchasing of Organic Cotton Products

A United States cotton field. Photo courtesy of Cottonusa.com

LUBBOCK, Texas- Contrasting the continuing sales slumps in the traditional garment industry, the organic cotton side of the market is thriving. Global retail sales of organic apparel and home textile products reached an estimated $3.2 billion in 2008. This represents a 63 percent increase from the $1.9 billion market in 2007, according to the Organic Cotton Market Report 2007-2008.

The report just released by the Organic Exchange, a non-profit organization promoting the expansion of organic agriculture, with a specific focus on increasing the production and use of organically grown fibers such as cotton.

The top ten organic cotton-using brands and retailers globally were:

• Wal-Mart, Bentonville, Ark.
• C&A, Brussels, Belgium
• Nike, Beaverton, Ore.
• H&M, Stockholm, Sweden
• Zara, A Coruna, Spain
• Anvil, Knitwear, Inc., New York, N.Y.
• Coop Switzerland, Basel, Switzerland
• Pottery Barn, San Francisco, Calif.
• Greensource, Seattle, Wash.
• Hess Natur, Butzbach, Germany

“It’s a sign of the times that despite ominous financial forecasts, brands and retailers are standing fast to their commitment to making their product lines more sustainable by ever increasing their use of organic cotton and other organic fibers such as wool, linen, and silk,” said LaRhea Pepper, Organic Exchange senior director.

The Organic Exchange finds that most brands and retailers selling organic cotton products are “upbeat about market growth with plans to expand their product lines 24 and 33 percent in 2009 and 2010, respectively, to result in an estimated $4 billion market in 2009, and a $5.3 billion market in 2010.”

In addition, the Organic Exchange found that during 2008, certified organic cotton fiber supplies grew by 95 percent, significantly higher than the annual growth rates of 45 percent in 2006, and 53 percent in 2007.

Ms. Pepper did though express concerns, stating that, “Farmers who planted on speculation or expanded without market partners may have shifted the market into a state of oversupply in 2009. “

Further, she advises that, “Brands may want to explore opportunities for expanding their organic programs with their business partners” due to the current increase in supply of organic fibers, yarns, and fabrics