|
Located in the world's most productive agricultural
region–California's Central Valley–the Sustainable
Cotton Project (SCP) focuses on the production and use of
cotton, one of the most widely grown and chemical-intensive
crops in the world.
Since 1994, SCP has been building bridges
between farmers, manufacturers and consumers to pioneer
markets for certified organically grown and sustainable
cotton, including working on the ground with local farmers.
SCP's guiding philosophy of "cooperation for a change"
has fostered a new level of shared information among farmers,
manufacturers and others in support of creating a cleaner
cotton industry.
In 2003, SCP joined with the Community
Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) to strengthen its
operation and reach into farm and consumer audiences. CAFF
and SCP are collaborating to provide growers with information
about biological farming techniques and to educate the public
about the importance of reducing chemical use in food and
fiber production.
Because of cotton's versatility, it is used
for a vast variety of food and fiber products, making it
one of the most widely traded commodities on earth. Cotton
represents an essential component of foreign exchange earnings
for more than fifty countries. Yet the simple act of growing
and harvesting the one pound of cotton fiber needed to make
a T-shirt takes an enormous toll on the earth’s air,
water, and soil, and has significant impacts on the health
of people in cotton growing areas.
According to 1995 data, for example, United
States farmers applied nearly one-third of a pound of chemical
fertilizers and pesticides for every pound of cotton harvested.
When all nineteen cotton-growing states are tallied, the
crop accounts for twenty-five percent of all the pesticides
used in the U.S. Some of these chemicals are among the most
toxic classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In developing countries, where regulations are less stringent,
the negative impacts are even more severe.
SCP has developed programs in three primary
areas of the cotton value chain to stimulate the transition
to supply and demand of the organic and sustainable cotton
industry:
BASIC
The BASIC program focuses directly on farm issues. BASIC’s
goal is to develop a working knowledge of chemical reduction
techniques that can be successfully and economically applied
to cotton. BASIC offers strategies to save farmers money
while reducing and eliminating certain farm chemicals, such
as insecticides, miticides and fertilizers, and water consumption.
Cleaner
Cotton™
The Cleaner Cotton™ Campaign has a simple goal: to educate manufacturers about
proven business models and strategies to incorporate organic
and sustainable cotton fibers into existing products. Bolstering
manufacturer demand is essential to increase the market
opportunities for farmer’s growing sustainable and
organic cotton.
Care
What You Wear
This initiative
was created to partner with other organizations to educate
consumers about issues in conventional cotton production
and the availability and importance of purchasing organic
and sustainable cotton products. By partnering with consumer
groups and students activists, we are helping to spread
the demand for organic and sustainable farming practices
by encouraging the purchasing sustainable products.
|
