Coop is a multi-faceted company based in Switzerland. It offers organic options in food, textiles and home fashion. Coop Naturaline is one of its label that produces textiles. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion.com, Simona Matt, Project Co-ordinator of Coop Naturaline talks about organic cotton utility at the company-the current ways and intended future operations.
What is your preferred sustainable cotton variant-organic cotton or others like BCI, etc?
Naturaline textiles are produced using only organic cotton, cultivated and processed by around 5,000 farmers in India and Tanzania, in accordance with Biore sustainability standards. Our philosophy is to achieve complete sustainability and can be easily summarised as 100 per cent fair production, 100 per cent organic cotton, 100 per cent transparency in the supply chain and 100 per cent CO2 neutrality.
What percentage share of your overall production comprises organic cotton?
The percentage of Naturaline in comparable clothing sale is around 30 per cent.
What products from your range comprises organic cotton?
Our Naturaline range offers an organic alternative, and contains around 500 articles-from socks and underwears to t-shirts and fashion collections, not forgetting home textiles. The range is available from Coop City department stores and larger Coop supermarkets.
How do you see the demand for organic fashion products in fiscal 2016-17?
We believe in organic fashion, and we will see a growing demand for these products.
What certifications are mandatory for your supplier companies?
Companies must continuously develop and comply with Naturaline audit which involves the following points:
1. Traceability system;
2. Quality and environmental management system;
3. Product requirements profile;
4. Companies must be audited to at least BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) standard;
5. They must obtain SA8000 certification in the medium term, which ensures that they satisfy the core standards of International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Which countries do you source organic cotton from?
We source organic cotton from India and Tanzania.
Is there a third party for sourcing organic cotton?
The third party is Biore with whom we work.
What extra premium do you pay for organic cotton?
The farming families growing our organic cotton receive a purchase guarantee from Remei for their harvest and a premium of 15 per cent in addition to the market price. They also receive training and advice from experts at training centres.
Do you intervene in farmer prices paid by suppliers?
No
What are your final comments with respect to organic cotton?
A growing organic cotton production will be desirable.
Published on: 19/02/2016
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
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