The Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) is proud to welcome three organisations as new Contributors to our global platform: Artistic Milliners, a fully vertically integrated denim manufacturer; Interloop Limited, a textile supply and manufacturing company; and WWF, an international non-governmental organisation. These organisations are all united by their strong commitment to enabling greater sustainability in raw material sourcing as a means of bringing positive change to the planet and society at large.
Commenting on the new Contributors, Bart Vollaard, Executive Director, OCA said:
“We are pleased to see such a diverse array of new Contributors, from brands to retailers, to civil society organisations joining our mission. These new partnerships represent a key milestone in OCA’s vision to expand to other key cotton-producing regions. They are also a testament to the farm-level transformation we are enabling in the sector – we welcome all who want to join us as we unite to bring meaningful impact and change.”
Artistic Milliners
Established in 1949 in Pakistan, Artistic Milliners is a world-class manufacturer of denim and garment and the top denim exporter from Pakistan. Building on its rich history of denim manufacturing, Artistic Milliners, a LEED Platinum-certified company, is today a fully vertically integrated denim powerhouse recognised by International organisations such as UN Global Compact, Cradle2Cradle and Fairtrade USA for social and environmental responsibility. With a strong focus on circularity and social impact, Artistic Milliners has redefined that being inventive and ethically conscious can go hand in hand. The company is effectively integrating automation in its core processes for improved connectivity through its value chain.
“Artistic Milliners commitment to leadership in sustainability is deeply embedded in our values. Pioneering sustainable cotton initiative, Artistic Milliners is already contributing to farm level interventions via Milliner Cotton. With the help of OCA, we now want to scale up our scope in organic cotton landscape of Pakistan. Maintaining a balance between economic success, protection of the environment, and social responsibility has been fundamental to our corporate culture for decades. We believe in partnering with the best of the best to take our sustainability initiatives forward. That’s why we are thrilled to join OCA to contribute as an impactful value chain partner and to bring actionable change to the cotton supply chain. Our target is to achieve 100% sustainable cotton sourcing by the end of 2020.”
– CEO at Artistic Milliners, Omer Ahmed.
Interloop Limited
Interloop Limited is multi-category supplier of Hosiery, Denim, Knitwear & Seamless products to leading brands and retailers, including, Nike, Puma, Levi’s, Adidas, Target, Uniqlo, H&M and many more. Interloop’s dedication to manufacturing excellence and commitment to environmental and social responsibility has gained it global recognition as a pioneer in responsible manufacturing.
“We are a business with purpose with people, the planet and progress at the core of our business strategy. We are passionate about the products we make, while being responsible stewards of the resources we use. Almost 50% of our raw materials are derived from sustainable sources and we have increased the use of organic cotton by around 400% since 2016. Social responsibility and sustainability are embedded in our corporate culture and we are integrating this approach through our supply chain. By partnering with OCA, we expect to develop a viable and consistent supply chain of organic cotton and support farmers improve their livelihoods”.
– Head of Corporate Communications at Interloop, Humayun Javed Khan
WWF International
Since 1961, WWF’s mission has been to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity; ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable; and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
WWF has already been working as an Implementing Partner of Laudes Foundation to promote organic cotton cultivation in Pakistan since 2015. This new partnership with OCA sets a milestone for the work WWF has done on the ground for the sector.
“We are excited to join OCA to align with the vision of the organic cotton sector as we believe that only through collaborative efforts, we can bring sustainability and transparency in the supply chain. We fully embrace OCA’s holistic approach to organic cotton from field to fashion, and we also stand by its core mission of improving integrity and traceability in the sector. We hope our contribution to OCA will increase farmers’ capacity building whilst scaling up organic cotton production in Pakistan.”
– WWF Water Stewardship Lead, Alexis Morgan.
