Tagged: cotton

We knew this wouldn’t be easy, but we didn’t know how challenging it would be either. With all the options we’ve seen in retail and online, we thought sourcing organic cotton would be more accessible.

The past two weeks have been a splash of cold water to the face.

While we haven’t found the answers we were looking for in Nicaragua, we’ve learned a heck of a lot about the industry and the obstacles we’re going to have to tackle in the process.

Here’s what we’re looking at:

1.) Organic cotton is generally only “made-to-order.” This means huge minimums. Like 15,000 pieces huge.

2.) Organic cotton only represents 0.76% of all the cotton grown in the world. Kind of like finding a needle in a haystack.

3.) Because of #1 and #2, organic cotton is very expensive. Several times more expensive than normal, pesticide-soaked cotton.

There is only one manufacturer of organic, knit cotton in all of Central America. We spoke with them extensively, considered their terms and constraints, and couldn’t make a definite decision to sign on the dotted line. Both financially and logistically.

We’ve made a commitment to producing our line organically, because, ethically, it’s the only way. We need to find a solution. An environmentally-friendly supply chain. An ethical mode of manufacturing. A system of production we’ll feel good about. But for right now, we’ve exhausted the organic cotton options in Central America.

So what’s the next step for us?

More research. More planning. More networking. So that somehow, somewhere, we’ll find what we’re looking for.

We both went back to the States this weekend, in time to spend the holiday season with our families. For the next month or so, we’ll be exploring our options and learning from the ‘veterans’ in the industry. Merino wool? Another country? Made in the USA? We aren’t sure what comes next.

What we do know is that we’re going to make this happen. For All of Us. {r}