Despite the increasing demand from textile and apparel industries, production of organic cotton is on the decline and poses a tremendous risk to both the environment and the future of sustainably-produced fabrics. The aim of the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) - a multi-stakeholder initiative spearheaded in 2013 by US retailer Eileen Fisher and European brands C&A, H&M and Kering is to identify and fund interventions, strategies and new areas of development and opportunity to increase organic cotton production.

According to Shona Quinn, sustainability leader for Eileen Fisher, organic cotton production and innovation in the industry is critical to the future of sustainable apparel, namely her brand’s commitment to consumers who are already seeking lifestyle changes that often begin and end with their clothing purchases. OCA plans to set the standard for organic farmer training by establishing a central farmer curriculum, knowledge transfer, and best known agricultural and business practices to improve effectiveness. In addition to providing training curriculum, the OCA will create a distribution system to reach farmers with 100 per cent organic seeds to protect the integrity of cotton crops.

Meanwhile, the OCA’s established financing model will be made available to farmers in the form of revolving loans. The approximate numbers of available financing dollars and farmer repayment terms have yet to be revealed. OCA is set to launch this year in a two-year prototyping phase where selected farmers across India will participate during the incubation period — with the goal of increasing strategies to scale organic cotton production through 2018.