The cotton is grown and sorted
It all starts here, in the cotton fields of India, where the organic cotton is grown and handpicked by the farmers in the small-scale Fairtrade-certified farms run by the Chetna Organic Cooperative and Pratima Organic Growers Group. The farms are certified according to Fairtrade and the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), the gold standard for organic cotton. After the cotton is picked, the cotton fibers are separated from the seed capsules. The cotton is then graded by fiber length, color, purity and strength. About a third are cotton fibers - where the finest fibers are used for our bedding - the rest is seeds and dirt that become fuel and animal food. Nothing is wasted.
Chetna Organic Cooperative
The main purpose of the cooperative is to improve the ability of small-scale growers to self support. This is achieved by creating access to an international market for trade in cotton and making agricultural systems more sustainable and profitable. The growers, among other things, learn to grow organically and gain knowledge of how to generate the largest possible cotton harvest. Through Fairtrade, farmers and their families receive, among other things, free housing, education and medical care. The cooperative today consists of 36 000 small-scale growers from the Indian states Maharashtra, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
H.NO. 1-305, Lakkaram Post Utnoor, Mandal, Adilabad district, Indien
Pratima Organic Growers Group
Pratima Organic Growers Group is located in the Balangir district of Odisha state, which is an extremely poor region. The organization brings hope to its farmers. The Fairtrade collective ensures that farmers get better paid for their harvest and creates initiatives that strengthen the local communities´ development; safe drinking water sources, self-help groups for women and funding for further education. The Fairtrade cooperative Pratima Organic Growers Group consists of 4000 growers.
H No.C-33,Sargiguda, Neheru Nagar, Titilagarh, Odisha 767033, Indien