Our cotton commitment

Cotton – a natural fabric known for its breathability, durability and softness – is one of the most important materials in our collections. For all its benefits, conventional cotton has a significant impact on the environment – due to the use of pesticides and fertilisers, high water consumption and the soil degradation it causes. This is why we've committed to replacing all conventional cotton in our collections with organic, recycled, in-conversion or regenerative agriculture cotton fibres by 2025. In our annual Impact Report, you can read more about our progress towards this goal.

ORGANIC COTTON

The benefits of organic cotton drive our choice to replace conventional cotton with its organic counterpart. For cotton to be considered organic, it needs to be produced and certified to specific standards – i.e. it must be grown on land free from pesticides and fertilizers for at least three years, without using GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Organic cotton takes significantly less water to grow than conventional cotton and is farmed using crop rotation, which eases pressure on local water resources and promotes soil health.

All our organic cotton is certified by third-party organisations, the fabric composition can be found on the care label of each garment and online in the highlights and care section per product. When referring to an organic cotton item, the fibre content of the main material is between 95 and 100%. For fabric blends that are partly made with organic cotton, the fibre content is listed in the fabric composition on the care label in combination with the fibre(s) it is blended with.

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

Recycled cotton re-uses leftover cotton fabric from the textile industry or unwanted garments to make new cotton fibres. By utilising existing resources, this circular approach reduces the demand for new virgin fibres, helping to keep textile waste within the clothing cycle and out of landfill.

Recycled cotton is often used at a value of around 20%, as the fibres of recycled cotton are shorter than virgin cotton and need to be blended with other fibres to maintain the quality and durability of certain garments like denim. The percentage of recycled cotton used in the garment is listed in the fabric composition of the garment.

BETTER COTTON

Better Cotton 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. We have been supporting this organisation since 2018, a collective movement that together addresses the negative impacts of mainstream cotton production. Cotton used by Better Cotton is not organic and cannot be physically traced to an individual product. What this means is that whenever you purchase a cotton garment from Scotch & Soda, you're supporting Better Cotton, which in turn supports the farmers who use water efficiently, cares for the health of natural habitats, reduces their use of harmful chemicals and respects the rights and wellbeing of their workers.