T-shirts are being made in Andhra Pradesh from organic cotton cultivated by tribals. The project has been taken up by a NGO, Regenerate the Environment Society and Economy through Textiles (Reset). The T-shirts are made with the cotton in garment factories based at Tirupur and Coimbatore. The cotton is raised in 26 villages. In all 18 tons of cotton are collected from the 230 farmers by cultivating it in 250 acres. The regenerative cotton is produced using climate resilient techniques and carbon farming. The entire Reset ecosystem involves farmers, ginners, spinners, knitters, dyers and garment workers. As many as 30,000 of these T-shirts are being worn by 8000 participants at an electronic dance music festival in Belgium, July 19 to 29.

Farmers are persuaded not to use chemical pesticides and herbicides and synthetic fertilisers. The unisex T-shirts are made with carefully chosen fabrics and print dyes that are not harmful to humans and the eco-system. Reset plans to involve more farmers and achieve a target of 62,500 acres and 15,000 farmers in the coming five years. The aim is to create the world’s first regenerative cotton value chain by imbibing the principles of ethical production and calling for conscious consumption, setting in motion a self-sustaining system.