Our cotton commitment
ORGANIC COTTON
All our organic cotton is certified by third-party organisations. We are members of GOTS, which is the leading global standard for organic textile fibres, including compliance with specific environmental and social criteria across the supply chain.
RECYCLED COTTON
We consider a fabric made with recycled cotton to be responsible if it contains at least 20% recycled cotton fibres. This is because the fibres of recycled cotton are shorter than virgin cotton and need to be blended with other fibres to maintain quality and durability.
BCI COTTON
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is a global not-for-profit organisation. It aims to make global cotton production better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in and better for the sector's future. Whenever you purchase a cotton garment from Scotch & Soda, you're supporting the Better Cotton Initiative. You're also supporting BCI farmers, who use water efficiently, care for the health of natural habitats, reduce their use of harmful chemicals and respect the rights and wellbeing of their workers.
OUR PROGRESS
We've been a partner of BCI since 2018.
Denim is a high cotton product and a core style within our collections.In 2020, we joined several other denim brands and suppliers in a landmark move – The Denim Deal – which is a collective move to use recycled fibres in denim production.
SOCIAL COMPLIANCE
For the year 2021, the majority of the styles that are made with cotton come from three countries of origin: China, Turkey and India. Cotton represents 66% of the styles used in our collections.
China: 49% of our total usage comes from China, from two provinces: Shandong and Heibei. 34% is organically grown and 66% is conventionally grown, from which 67% is certified by the Better Cotton Initiative.
Turkey: 36% of our total usage comes from Turkey, from the Aegean region. 64% is organically grown and 36% is conventionally grown, from which 38% is certified by the Better Cotton Initiative.
India: 15% of our total usage comes from India, from three regions: Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra. 66% is organically grown and 34% is conventionally grown, from which 58% is certified by the Better Cotton Initiative.
We require all our contractual suppliers to not use cotton from areas that are considered high risk for child labour or forced labour and show documentation to that effect. We also work with our suppliers to trace our cotton supply from raw material to final product to increase transparency across our supply chain.
As a member of the Better Cotton Initiative, we follow and support their recommendations and expertise to improve the effectiveness of the system in identifying, preventing, mitigating and remediating forced labour risks worldwide.