We hope you will be able to join us this coming Monday at London Olympia for a crucial discussion on cotton and sustainability. We also celebrate this month an important step toward phasing out one of the deadliest cotton pesticides.

Let's start this month's newsletter with good news: we have just celebrated our 1,000th subscriber to WearOragnic News, and subscription rate currently averages 5 per day! This shows the increasing interest for sustainability issues in cotton production and fashion.

1. Can cotton be sustainable? Join us for a panel discussion at London Olympia
2. Endosulfan one step closer to listing under international toxics treaty
3. New Cotton Publication: 15 years of campaigning in 65 articles
4. Organic Exchange hosts Regional Meeting in Paraguay
5. UN declares 2009 the International Year of Natural Fibres
6. Eco-Design fair comes to London College of Fashion

1. Can cotton be sustainable? Join us for a panel discussion at London Olympia

Are you concerned about the sustainability of cotton production? Is organic production efficient enough to be environmentally and economically sustainable and support world's demand for natural fibres? Cotton is sometimes labeled "the dirtiest crop in the world", or "the thirstiest crop on earth"! These media-friendly terms are making headlines, but are they fair? Are they even accurate?

Is the cotton plant inherently unsustainable? Or is it more realistic to believe that conventional production methods make it so. There is an important distinction here to be made. Join us this Monday, hear the evidence, share your thoughts, ask questions, and decide for yourself.

As part of its 7th annual organic business seminars at Organic and Natural Products Europe, the Soil Association is hosting the seminar "Is Organic Cotton sustainable? Can cotton be sustainable?" PAN UK will show its short film Moral Fibre: Organic Cotton, which will be followed by a panel discussion, chaired by Soil Association's textile specialist Lee Holdstock.

Monday 16 April, 3.30-4.40pm Organic Theatre London Olympia Natural and Organic Products Europe 15-16 April - Grand hall - Olympia - London Get your FREE entry ticket at www.naturalproductseurope.co.uk

Panelists include:

• Peter Melchett, Policy Director of the Soil Association, former Director of Greenpeace UK, and former Labour Government Minister. Peter also runs an organic farm in Norfolk.
• Jan Schriver, Partner of pioneer organic cotton company Bo Weevil, which works with local NGOs in the South to support organic cotton farmers, including the renowned Lango project in Uganda.
• Damien Sanfilippo, Cotton project officer at Pesticide Action Network UK.

PAN UK's Film Moral Fibre: Organic Cotton

Natural and Organic Products Europe trade show will be the biggest to date, with 600 companies exhibiting, over 7,000 industry professionals excepted. The show will host - for the first time - a clothing and textile pavilion, reflecting growing interest in organic clothing. Organic cotton exhibitors include: Beaming Baby, Bodywise UK (Natracare), Bo Weevil, Cut4Cloth, Engel, Greenfibres, Green Baby, Greensleeves Clothing (Cotton People, Disana, Hirsch Natur), Lana Natural Wear, Luma, SAF, Seasalt, T shirt & Sons, Tatty Bumkin,...

Sunday 15th April - 10:30 - 11:15 - CAM/Wellbeing theatre
Get your FREE entry ticket at www.naturalproductseurope.co.uk

2. Endosulfan one step closer to listing under international toxics treaty

Last month WearOrganic News informed you that endosulfan, one of "the worst pesticide in cotton", was facing international review during the meeting in Rome of the Chemical Review Committee of the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent.

The two PAN representatives from Europe and Africa who attended the meeting as observers (the other observers present were representatives from the agrochemical industry) were pleased to report that the chemical experts recommended that politicians include the toxic chemical on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) list of the Convention in 2008.

PAN has been highlighting the dangers of endosulfan through its regional centers in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin and North America for more than two decades. Endosulfan is acutely toxic, is known to disrupt the hormone system, can damage the human reproductive system and has been linked to breast cancer. It is the second most widely used insecticide in cotton production, and has been linked to many incidents of pesticide poisoning, sometimes fatal, among West African cotton farmers, as highlighted in our recent report "Living with Poison".

"The continued use of this pesticide jeopardizes human health and the environment everywhere because of its ability to travel long distances on air and water currents, and its persistence in the environment and human bodies," said Medha Chandra of PAN North America. "It's time governments take steps to protect communities from endosulfan, and addition to the PIC list will be an important step in the right direction."

The experts' recommendation to add endosulfan confirms PAN's claims that the insecticide presents severe risks for human health, and gives the 116 governments that have ratified the Convention a clear mandate to definitively add endosulfan to the PIC list at the Conference of Parties in November 2008. This will be the final step, giving governments around the world a fair chance at keeping this deadly pesticide out of their countries. PAN will continue to keep up the pressure to ensure that financial and political interests do not further delay the inevitable control of this dangerous, outdated, and replaceable pesticide.

3. New Cotton Publication: 15 years of campaigning in 65 articles

PAN UK is launching a new publication: A COTTON READER - a selection of articles about cotton and sustainability published in Pesticides News

In 1991, Pesticide Action Network UK was still known as The Pesticide Trust, and Pesticides News was already its flagship quarterly publication. In March that year, the journal featured its first article on cotton: Pesticides and Cotton: Are there Alternatives? The article followed months of investigation into the massive use of pesticides in cotton production, and the associated "pesticide treadmill" that farmers find themselves on. It called for the development of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) pilot projects to help cotton farmers reduce their pesticide use.

In 1992, the words 'Organic' and 'Cotton' appeared together in Pesticides News for the first time. In a flagship article, PAN UK joined with top UK fashion designer Katharine Hamnett to raise awareness of how organic cotton could improve lives. Two years later, PAN used Pesticides News to announce its ambition to support efforts to develop organic cotton production, and started working with partners, mainly in West Africa.

The 65 Pesticides News articles collected in this anthology illustrate the fifteen years of campaigning by PAN UK and others to put sustainability back into cotton production. This work is helping to challenge the doctrine of chemical-intensive agriculture for cotton. 30 contributing authors from around the world investigate a wide range of issues, from pesticide poisonings and global pesticide usage, to IPM and organic, as well as the rise of the organic cotton market and the less fortunate rise of GM cotton. Several specialized indexes allow easy access to the relevant articles.

A Cotton Reader, Volume 1 1991-2000, 99 pages, 26 photographs A Cotton Reader, Volume 2 2001 - 2006, 75 pages, 27 photographs

1994: Trailblazer Katharine Hamnett shares her experience about her struggle to build alternative supply chains for organic cotton.

4. Organic Exchange hosts Regional Meeting in Paraguay

The Organic Exchange is holding its regional Meeting in Asunción, Paraguay, from April 16th-19th 2007, in order to improve the organic cotton development strategy for Latin America, Participants will include producers, spinners, weavers, retailers, exporters and technical support groups among others. The meeting will cover areas such as organic cotton farming issues, spinning and manufacturing. Delegates are coming from specialist groups and companies from Paraguay, Peru, Brazil, Colombia and México

"Latin America is a fantastic place for organic cotton", says Simon Ferrigno, Director of Organic Exchange's Farm Development Program. "There is a diversity of fiber types and a good capacity in the manufacturing sector. In Paraguay, for example, there is also a formidable artisanal tradition, and a wealth of other organic crops with actual or future potential, such as sugar cane, oranges, bananas, sesame and Soya. There are commercial and NGO sectors with skills and imagination".

In Peru, there are long staple and naturally colored fibers, while Brazil, Nicaragua and Colombia are all also involved in the sector. The meeting's objective is to throw Light in what is happening in the region. It is also to establish the basis for a regional strategy for the production, manufacturing, trade and export of organic cotton, to gain the interest of external buyers, but without ignoring local markets or issues such as the food security of small farmers in the sector.

Alfonso Lizárraga, Organic Exchange's Regional Director for Latin America, "in countries like Peru, organic agriculture has reduced the negative impact of agricultural practices on the environment, especially through its elimination of the use of synthetic chemicals and fertilizers. It has also improved the economic position of farmers and generated new jobs all through the supply chain"

For Mario Paredes of the NGO Alter Vida, "the production of organic cotton is very important for the development of Paraguay. Altervida is seeking to generate knowledge, ideas and actions that are environmentally sustainable and socially equitable, creating the foundation for sustainable development in Paraguay"

Organic Cotton Regional Meeting
ASUNCION - PARAGUAY
16 - 19th April 2007
Gran Hotel del Paraguay

5. UN declares 2009 the International Year of Natural Fibres

At the request of the FAO, the UN General Assembly last December declared 2009 the International Year of Natural Fibres. The FAO hopes this will contribute to the Millennium Development Goals by further developing the efficiency and sustainability of these agricultural industries that employ millions of people in some of the world’s poorest countries.

Millions of people around the world, among them some of the poorest people in some of the poorest countries, depend on the production and processing of natural fibres for their livelihood. Natural fibres contribute to food security and economic development for these farmers.

"The International Year of Natural Fibres will raise consumer awareness of natural fibres and strengthen demand for natural fibre products, improving the livelihoods of the farmers who produce them and revenues for countries that export them", says FAO. "At the same time, promoting the use of natural fibres will enhance the environment".

According to FAO, there is almost no limit to the type of activities that might form part of the International Year of Natural Fibres. Fashion shows, exhibitions, conferences, production of TV documentaries and books, and competitions for schoolchildren could all be developed in the many countries expected to take part.

PAN UK hopes this will provide an opportunity to rethink the way natural fibres - cotton being the major crop - are produced in the conventional sector. There is an urgent need to assess globally the impact of cotton production on the environment, and on the health and livelihood of cotton farmers. These external costs associated with cotton production are still widely overlooked. The FAO needs to strengthen its efforts, working with national governments, to expand IPM training programmes to include all cotton farmers in the developing world; especially those in West Africa, Asia, and South America. The FAO should also actively promote the production and trade of organic cotton and devise new strategies to raise awareness of organic production techniques and benefits, in order to benefit the rest of the cotton sector. Only then will cotton production truly provide an efficient tool to improve the livelihoods of millions of people.

6. Eco-Design fair comes to London College of Fashion

The London College of Fashion will be hosting its Sustainability Week starting 30th April: 'Is Green the New Black?' . This week-long event will feature discussions, debates, and activities to highlight the issues surrounding sustainability, ethical fashion, and fair trade. This is an encouraging sign that sustainability issues are finally being recognized as crucial issues within the world of fashion.

As part of this event, the college will host the spring edition of the Eco-Design Fair on Friday 4th May. Come and visit this great venue to discover what sustainable and fair trade design is all about: Fashion, T-shirts, footwear, bags, belts, ties, knickers, jewellery, slippers, baby clothes, maternity wear, knitwear, mirrors, lighting, home furnishings, cards, gifts and stationery products - all made with the environment in mind, including of course organic cotton.

PAN UK will be present to inform fashion students on sustainability issues in cotton production, and will also screen its film Moral Fibre: Organic Cotton. This event will be open to the public as well as to all students from the following colleges which make up The University of The Arts London: