10 facts about the organic clothing industry in India

India is an evolving market for organic clothing. Consumers here have just started to prefer to use products manufactured with naturally available raw materials that are free from artificial ingredients or grown without chemical additives – these are broadly categorized as ‘organic products’.

With the consumer’s changing preference in mind, corporations use all their resources to develop natural products, organic raw materials, and eco-friendly processes. Then, it’s no surprise that the textile industry is rapidly seeing an increase in the demand for organic clothing. The organic textile market, consisting of clothes and home textiles made from materials like organic cotton, jute, wool, silk, etc., can, thus, be considered the next stage of the textile industry evolution.

GOTS certified organic clothing manufacturers are making a mark in capitalizing on this opportunity. VCI Exports largest organic textile manufacturer. With a number of accreditations to its name, VCI Exports adheres to strict standards when it comes to producing organic yarn sustainable apparel. The company has obtained the Global Organic Textiles Standardization (GOTS) certification for their textile production.

Here are 10 facts about the organic clothing industry in India you need to know:

Evolving Industry: Consumers are becoming more aware and have just started changing their preferences; hence, there are fewer options, but there is a lot of scope of growth in this industry.

Certification: The Global Organic Textiles Standardization (GOTS) certification is considered the highest level of certification that one needs to obtain to start as a 100% organic clothing manufacturer.

Cotton Consumption: Textiles made of organic cotton are particularly in high demand and replace conventional cotton. The world is shifting to organic cotton as it requires much less water and isn’t treated with genetically modified seeds or pesticides.

Skill Development: Skill development remains the challenge. Emphasis should be given to creating appropriate skill sets among rural migrants and urban poor to make growth inclusive.

Cost of Non-compliance: Sustainably running your business always pays. There have been many cases in the recent past that can serve as a lesson like – stringent action, penalties, financial loss, loss of company image, etc. Every big accident starts a new episode of more strict norms for compliance. 

Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS): VSS can play a significant role in providing businesses with frameworks for self-regulation and making them more competitive in the sustainability-conscious global markets.

Challenges: Some of the challenges for clothing manufacturers in India are:

 Shortage of non-GMO seeds

 Competition from other cotton options

 Integrity/contamination of organic cotton crop due to risk of contamination by GM crops

Stress on premium price

Environmental Compliance: In India, many incidents have been happening in many parts where the owner had to shut the unit immediately due to non-compliance with air and water pollution norms.

Social Compliance: Indian textile companies have negative sentiments in the international market, which needs to be taken seriously by organic textile manufacturers in India.

Huge Demand In Future: In the long run, demand for organic clothing is expected to grow; therefore, developing the organic textiles value chain would be a worthwhile opportunity. India has a much larger play to capitalize on this demand, with cotton being one of its widely-grown crops.