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We’re addressing the root causes of integrity issues across the sector.

Building on two decades of work championing organic cotton, we’re setting out to bring greater integrity to the sector by outlining the concrete steps that organizations can take to recognize fraud, fight it, and prevent it from happening in the first place. In this report, we strive to go beyond exploring integrity to focus on practical guidance so that our members can confront a major sector challenge and protect trust in organic—a vital way of tackling the climate crisis.

Key takeaways

1. Integrity is critically important to the organic cotton supply chain, but upholding it is difficult, and threats to integrity often evolve. Failing to address integrity as a major sector challenge risks damaging trust in organic cotton.
2. Fraud occurs most often where financial pressure, opportunity, and the potential for rationalization meet. This can be a result of underinvestment, the presence of loopholes, and the perception among supply chain partners that their efforts or the risks they’re taking are not being rewarded fairly.
3. One way to prevent fraud is by putting restrictions in place and reviewing them frequently. But it is essential to get to the root cause of the problem, not just manage the symptoms. This means helping others through education, to recognize it, address it, and remediate the challenges that cause it to happen in the first place.
4. To fight fraud effectively and build a robust system of integrity, organizations need to go beyond building compliance through standards and certification towards achieving traceability for organic content, improving incentives for supply chain partners, and collaborating with others.
5. Organizations can start now by reviewing and mapping their supply networks to see where there are vulnerabilities to fraud, and then introduce and embed an anti-fraud and integrity policy. By monitoring the success of this strategy, organizations can then make adjustments and refinements. This should be part of adopting a policy of continuous learning and improvement.

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We’re helping the industry access meaningful data on the production of different materials.

Our annual Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report pulls together data on the production volumes and availability of different fibers and raw materials, as well as sharing insights on emerging fiber trends. We share these numbers publicly to give fashion and textile companies a clear picture of how their sourcing decisions translate.

GOALS

Sharing data helps the industry discover sourcing opportunities and address challenges.

The Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report collects data from government agencies, certification and accreditation bodies, and independent organizations. We do this work to show the industry where change needs to happen and accelerate action, helping companies to discover sourcing opportunities and pinpoint challenges.

Download the Report

Our Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report is freely available to all.

Download the latest report

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We’re helping the industry access meaningful data on the production of different materials.

The Organic Cotton Market Report provides a unique analysis of key data and emerging trends in organic and in-conversion cotton production. Each year, we share data from the previous harvest season in every producing country to create a complete picture of global supply.

GOALS

Sharing data helps the industry discover sourcing opportunities and address challenges.

The Organic Cotton Market Report collects data from government agencies, certification and accreditation bodies, and independent organizations. By sharing this data, we give the industry a framework in which to identify opportunities, adversities, and irregularities by geographical context, helping us get to the root of their causes.

Download the Report

Our Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report is freely available to all.

Download the latest report

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At Textile Exchange, we are on a mission to drive a 45% reduction in the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that come from producing fibers and raw materials by 2030. We’ve landed on this target in line with what is needed from our industry to help limit global warming to 1.5°C.

Currently, virgin, fossil-based synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon account for the majority of global fiber production and related GHG emissions. They are a fundamental focus area for us because if we are to protect the 1.5°C pathway, we need to transition away from the extraction of virgin fossil fuels. This means holistically assessing the alternatives on offer, including existing preferred materials like recycled synthetics, and new areas of innovation, like biosynthetics made from natural, renewable sources such as agricultural waste, food crops, or plants.

With performance and technical properties that allow them to be used as a replacement for traditional synthetics, biosynthetics can be derived from sources like corn, sugar beet, sugarcane, wheat, and more. At Textile Exchange, we see their potential to move the industry away from non-renewable resources and to reduce climate impacts when compared to their fossil-based counterparts.

But, like all materials, we need to treat them with care and nuance. We’ve got to fully understand the impacts of different crops or residues in their regional contexts and manage them responsibly. This means going beyond greenhouse gas emissions, assessing their impacts on areas like water, soil health, biodiversity, and livelihoods too, as well as conducting further research on microfiber shedding.

To push for progress in this sector, we not only need bold goals, investments, and actions, but a holistic approach to measuring sustainability. With the required knowledge and data we need to do this, we believe that biosynthetics can be part of the industry’s broader journey towards a regenerative and circular future.

This guidance document has been developed by Textile Exchange in partnership with the Biosynthetics Round Table, to encourage discussion around the sustainability of biosynthetics and share the interim findings with a wider audience.

Read the guide

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Learn more about Regenerative Agriculture Landscape Analysis

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