C&A, currently the largest buyer of organic cotton is going all out to boost the fiber. Demand for organic cotton is exceeding supply but global production of organic cotton has declined. Measured against global production of cotton, the share of organic cotton today is only one per cent. After worldwide production of organic cotton continuously rose in 2011, crop yields subsequently sank by 8 per cent in the following years. The reason: lack of knowledge about organic cultivation methods; poor cooperation between communities.

For C&A Europe, which has been dedicated to promoting organic cotton production for the last 10 years, counteracting this step backwards is a priority. It publishes brochures which explain the added value and current challenges of organic cotton production, and show opportunities for all those in the global supply chain. 

C&A sold over 100 million products made from organic cotton in fiscal year 2013. The share of organic cotton against the total cotton collection is 38 per cent. All cotton in C&A products labeled with Bio Cotton is 100 per cent certified organic cotton -- never blended. Nearly 75 per cent of the processed organic cotton, which is cultivated without the use of pesticides and artificial fertilizers, comes from farm projects supported by the C&A Foundation, around 60,000 farmers in India benefit from these projects. 

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