20% growth in global organic cotton market predicted for 2011

08 September 2011

The Soil Association welcomes the 2010 Global Market Report on Sustainable Textiles from Textile Exchange, which shows a 20% increase in the organic textiles sector as a whole in 2010, taking the worldwide market value to over 5.6 billion. It predicts the same rise in 2011 – with estimates of a 6.2billion value by the end of the year and $7.4 billion market in 2012.

Commenting on the report, Georgina Thomas, Soil Association Certification textile specialist, said:

“This report from Textile Exchange is a further boost to a rapidly growing certified organic textiles market. The success story of the global organic textile market reflects what we are seeing in the UK, where Soil Association textile licensees saw growth of 35% in 2010 - reaching £12million.

Increasingly, consumers are demanding materials that are planet friendly, promote better working conditions and high animal welfare, and are free from harmful chemicals and there are now almost 3000 GOTS certified textile and garment businesses worldwide to meet this demand. It’s a very exciting time for the sector.”