1. New Publications: Guide to cotton textile standards and pesticide poisonings in Africa

Are you confused by the proliferation of standards and labels for textiles? What does organic or fair trade exactly means for cotton? What about the other eco-labels, or various ethical claims? What difference do they make? How can we be sure? Can cotton production be sustainable?

PAN UK is launching its new guide My Sustainable T-Shirt: A guide to organic, fair trade, and other eco standards and labels for cotton textiles. This guide provides concise and fair information about the major textile certification schemes, and aims to answer all of your questions.

“This guide is Fantastic! Totally accurate from my perspective …very clear, detailed, and well balanced!”
(Lee Holdstock, senior certification officer and organic textile expert at Soil Association Certification Ltd.

“This is an excellent guide! Very well balanced and simple to understand”
(Nick Pecorelli, founder and director of organic and fairtrade fashion company HUG).

The PDF version is now available to download. A printed version will be available in February. PAN UK is also preparing a shorter version of the guide, specifically tailored toward consumers. This small leaflet will be widely distributed within the UK and beyond. It will, hopefully, contribute to educate consumers about the importance of purchasing cotton products which are environmentally and socially sustainable.

Living with Poison? In the cotton growing season of 1999-2000 in Benin, details slowly emerged about a large number of deaths among cotton farmers and their families related to pesticides. The tragedy followed the reintroduction of the pesticide endosulfan in West Africa on the advice of agricultural research agencies, in an effort to combat insect pest resistance.

In the new report Living with Poison - Problems of endosulfan in West Africa cotton growing systems, PAN UK and its partners investigate the impact of the reintroduction of the infamous organochloride insecticide on the health of cotton farmers in Benin, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Cameroon. It identifies the levels of poisonings associated with cotton production, suggesting that most poisonings go unrecorded.

Download or order the report.

2. Organic Cotton in the UK: the market continues to grow

PAN UK has conducted the first extensive survey of the organic cotton market in the. The survey reveals that the market grew by 25% form 2004 to 2005. 2005-2006 was a crucial period for the development of the organic cotton market globally. The demand has, for the first time, significantly surpassed the supply of certified organic cotton fibre. The growth of the UK market is expected to accelerate in 2006 and 2007.

The UK market accounts for approximately 8% of the global market: a considerable share. The sector grew significantly in 2005, with a 95% increase in the number of retail shops (online shops and retail outlets), and 73% increase in the number of brands and labels available to consumers. 36 UK-based companies started using organic cotton in 2005.

The survey also revealed that among all the foreign brands and labels sold on the UK market, 70 % are either German or US-based.

Download the complete survey.

3. Farmers and Fashion: a full house for the Rachel Carson Memorial Lecture!

200 people responded to PAN UK’s invitation on December 5th to commemorate the life and work of Rachel Carson. The superb Grand Auditorium of the Royal Society for the Arts was used to full capacity. In her lecture entitled Farmers and Fashion; from Harvest to High Street, Camilla Toulmin, Director of the International Institute for Environment and Development, talked about her experience of small-scale cotton farming communities in West Africa and how consumers in the UK can make a difference to these communities’ health and livelihoods.

William Lana, the charismatic director of pioneering organic cotton company Greenfibres chaired the lecture, and a very lively question time followed. The after-talk reception was our most visual and colourful exhibition to date with fashion displays, video footage, and live West African kora music. This offered the opportunity to the audience to learn more about PAN UK’s work, both in the UK and internationally.

The Guardian, among other media, ran an article using Dr Toulmin’s lecture. You can now read the entire lecture.

PAN UK ‘s annual Rachel Carson Memorial Lecture is an opportunity to celebrate the work of Rachel Carson, who, in 1962, warned of the dangers of indiscriminate pesticide use in her ground-breaking book Silent Spring. Its profound influence is credited with the foundation of the modern environmental movement. Last year, Rachel Carson was named the “Greatest Eco-hero” of all times by a panel of scientist brought together by the Environmental Agency. We hope to see you next year for another inspiring pesticide-related lecture.

4. Retailers directory updated: Map reveals organic cotton textile hotspots

Our directory of organic cotton retailers has just been updated. It now lists 130 retail outlets and 170 online shops, selling over 140 organic cotton brands and labels in the UK. The republic of Ireland, the channel Islands, the isle of man and France will soon be added. We will continue to update this directory on a quarterly basis.

A map showing all retail outlets listed on the directory reveals a rather uneven repartition of outlets within the country. While Greater London, unsurprisingly, is home to the highest concentration of outlets, other regions appear to be “organic cotton hotspots”! This include the Bristol-Bath area, the South West in general (Cornwall and Devon), as well as the Brighton – Eastbourne area.

Download here the high resolution map.

5. Timberland Buys Howies

David and Clare Hieatt, founders of the organic and eco-friendly active sports brand Howies, announced last month that they had accepted an offer from the clothing and shoe giant Timberland to acquire their company. In a statement posted on Howies website, David explains the reasons behind this move. He explains that in order to allow the brand to grow, without having to cut corners, new investment was needed. David describes Timberland as a “like-minded” company, and praises its quiet but bold environmental policies.

The couple from Cardigan Bay in Wales will retain creative control of one of Britain’s most successful organic cotton brand, and keep the same management team. According to David: “they are here to help us, to improve us, but not to change us”.

Howies’ announcement.

Tmberland has been using organic cotton since 2003, as a 5% blend in some of their collections, as well as some ranges of 100% organic cotton. They have pledged to convert 5% of their cotton usage (approximately 250 tonnes) to organic cotton in 2006. In 2005, the company used just over 100 tonnes.

Damien Sanfilippo
Cotton Project Officer