OCA, GOTS, and IFOAM- Organics International Spark Vital Conversations and Drive Sector Transformation
The Organic Cotton & Textiles Conference was successfully held from 27 February to 1 March 2023 in Indore, India. Co-hosted by OCA, GOTS, and IFOAM - Organics International, the conference addressed a range of topics including social conditions, transparency through innovation, scaling up organic through investment, as well as sessions tackling certification, decent work and environmental impacts.
It brought together a diverse group of key players from every part of the textile supply chain, for instance, farmers, farm groups, industry representatives, non-profits, academics, suppliers, brands, certifiers, government representatives and policymakers. The event aimed to foster collaboration, explore innovative ideas, listen to those on the ground and focus discussions to develop a shared vision to boost the organic textile supply chain worldwide.
Choitresh Ganguly, Vice president of the IFOAM - Organics International World Board shared, “After a long time, I attended an international conference that truly brought together farmers, for-profits, non-profits, certifiers, buyers and sellers, academics, and policymakers. We gathered together in both conversation and debate, with a clear focus on organic textiles and the idea of a win-win for all along the value (supply) chain – from the farmers to the consumers, while drawing our collective attention to the urgency of healing the ecosystems of our planet.”
The event prioritised farmers' voices, who joined as panellists, in a dedicated Q&A session with seven organic cotton farmers from the region. On the third day, organised by OCA, the organic farmers welcomed attendees to their communities during a field trip to Petlawad, to witness organic practices on the ground level.
“The Farmers’ voices were a heart-warming validation of how OCA’s organic cotton farmers are reaping the fruits of their labour and progressively enriching their lives and livelihoods.”
OCA’s Head of South Asia
There were very many innovative ideas and opportunities for collaboration that came out of the event and we hope that they can eventually contribute to strengthening the organic textile supply chain.
“I want to thank our wonderful speakers and panellists, the farmers who welcomed us to their fields and their convention, our co-hosting organisations, GOTS and IFOAM – International our honourable guests Roop Rashi Mahapatra, Textile Commissioner of India and Dr A.K. Yadav, Advisor to the Ministry of Agriculture. A big thank you to the team at Pratibha Syntex Ltd for hosting the field trip, and of course, our amazing team at OCA for a job well done. I’m looking forward to the next one!" Bart Vollaard, Executive Director of OCA.
