Fairtrade India claims that its certified organic cotton is associated with better environmental outcomes than non-Fairtrade cotton.
- Cotton that was both Fairtrade and organic or converting to organic outperformed conventional cotton in the areas of greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and avoidance of chemicals, says a study released at the first International Fairtrade Textile Forum in Paris.
- Commissioned by Fairtrade India, the study was conducted in six of the top cotton-producing states in India and was designed to detect differences between farms that are both Fairtrade and organic certified, farms that are non-Fairtrade and using conventional methods, and some variations in between, including Fairtrade farms in the process of converting to organic.
KEY FINDINGS: The main revelations are:
- Fairtrade organic cotton generated 45% less greenhouse gas emissions, at 862 kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) per hectare compared to 1,563 kg CO₂e per hectare for non-Fairtrade cotton grown with either organic or conventional methods.
- 96% of Fairtrade organic and in-conversion farmers avoid chemical pesticide use altogether, as compared with 60% of non-Fairtrade conventional farmers. 73% of Fairtrade organic and in-conversion farms are using Integrated Pest Management, while only 44% of the non-Fairtrade conventional farms do.
- Fairtrade organic and in-conversion farmers get 20% more cotton from their water use, as measured by water productivity rates of 0.30 kg/m³ compared to 0.25 kg/m³ for non-Fairtrade farmers. At the same time, the Fairtrade organic and in-conversion farmers use 14% less water than conventional farmers, with a water footprint of 4,410 litres/kg of cotton compared to 5,156 litres/kg, underscoring the efficient use of natural resources.
- Only 5% of Fairtrade organic and in-conversion farmers use synthetic nitrogenous fertilisers, compared to more than nine out of ten conventional farmers. Using organic fertilisers – which 76% of Fairtrade organic farmers do – improves soil health and reduces water pollution and carbon emissions.
- Beyond the benefits of organic farming practices, Fairtrade and organic certification provides economic advantages for cotton farmers, as measured through yields and farmgate prices received by farmers. The combination of these factors contributes to better livelihoods and greater environmental sustainability.
- Fairtrade organic farmers had the highest average cotton lint yields (598 kg/hectare), 13% more than non-Fairtrade average from either organic or conventional production (530 kg/hectare).
- At the same time, Fairtrade organic farmers earned 4.8% more on average than non-Fairtrade conventional farmers (US$ 898.80 per tonne of seed cotton as compared to US$ 858).
STUDY & METHODOLOGY: The study, conducted by a team of independent experts at the Global Agrisystem, and funded by the European Commission (EC) through the Switch-Asia project called ‘Switching to Green and Fair Fashion’, assessed the environmental impact of cotton farming by Fairtrade certified farmers in the Indian states of Gujarat, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha and Tamil Nadu.
It compared four groups of farms out of the 850-farm sample:
- Fairtrade and organic certified farms plus Fairtrade farms in conversion to organic (referred to as “FOIC”);
- Fairtrade and organic certified farms only;
- non-Fairtrade farms whether using conventional or organic farming methods (“control”);
- non-Fairtrade farms only practicing conventional farming methods (“control conventional”).
Because most Fairtrade cotton in India is also organic certified or on the way to becoming fully organic, there were few farms that could be used as a strictly Fairtrade non-organic comparison.
- The researchers therefore found that the findings reflect the overall environmental impact of Fairtrade certified cotton, encompassing organic as well as in-conversion farms.
WHAT THEY SAID
India is the world’s second-largest producer of cotton, which means adoption of sustainable cotton production practices can play a vital role in addressing climate change while also contributing to greener and fairer fashion. The findings provide tangible evidence that the combination of Fairtrade and organic standards not only enhances environmental outcomes but also supports the economic wellbeing of farmers for long-term sustainability.
— Abhishek Jani
Chief Executive Officer
Fairtrade India
